Backgammon – 3 General Schemes
Posted in Backgammon on 02/14/2023 10:25 am by Lillie
In astonishingly general terms, there are three chief techniques used. You want to be agile enough to switch strategies quickly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This is comprised of building a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you might manage, to lock in the competitor’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most acceptable course of action at the start of the match. You can build the wall anywhere inbetween your eleven-point and your two-point and then move it into your home board as the match advances.
The Blitz
This involves closing your home board as quick as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. e.g., if your challenger rolls an early two and moves one piece from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then roll a 5-5, you will be able to play six/one six/one 8/3 8/3. Your competitor is now in serious difficulty due to the fact that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!
The Backgame
This tactic is where you have two or higher pieces in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a point occupied by at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It needs to be employed when you are significantly behind as it much improves your opportunities. The best locations for anchor spots are close to your competitor’s lower points and either on adjacent points or with one point in between. Timing is crucial for an effective backgame: besides, there is no point having 2 nice anchors and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then required to break apart this straight away, while your competitor is shifting their checkers home, taking into account that you do not have other additional checkers to shift! In this case, it is better to have checkers on the bar so that you can preserve your position up till your opposer gives you a chance to hit, so it can be a great idea to attempt and get your opposer to hit them in this situation!