Archive for February 3rd, 2022

Backgammon – Three General Techniques

Posted in Backgammon on 02/03/2022 06:25 pm by Lillie
[ English ]

In very simple terms, there are three fundamental techniques employed. You need to be agile enough to hop between strategies instantly as the course of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This is composed of assembling a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at least as deep as you can manage, to lock in the competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most acceptable course of action at the begining of the game. You can build the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the game progresses.

The Blitz

This is comprised of closing your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. For example, if your challenger rolls an early two and shifts one piece from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then toss a 5-5, you are able to play six/one six/one eight/three eight/three. Your competitor is then in big-time calamity because they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!

The Backgame

This plan is where you have 2 or higher checkers in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor is a position consisting of at a minimum 2 of your checkers.) It should be used when you are decidedly behind as this action greatly improves your circumstances. The strongest areas for anchors are close to your competitor’s lower points and also on abutting points or with one point separating them. Timing is critical for an effectual backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having 2 nice anchors and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break up this straight away, while your opponent is moving their pieces home, taking into account that you don’t have other additional checkers to move! In this situation, it is more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you might preserve your position up till your opposer gives you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a great idea to try and get your opponent to get them in this case!