Backgammon – 3 Basic Strategies
Posted in Backgammon on 10/03/2025 01:25 am by Lillie
In very simple terms, there are three main plans used. You want to be able to hop between game plans quickly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This involves building a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you can achieve, to block in the competitor’s checkers that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most acceptable strategy at the start of the match. You can create the wall anyplace between your eleven-point and your two-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the game continues.
The Blitz
This consists of locking your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your competitor on the bar. e.g., if your competitor tosses an early two and moves one piece from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a five-five, you can play 6/1 six/one eight/three eight/three. Your competitor is then in serious difficulty taking into account that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have 2 or more checkers in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It would be played when you are significantly behind as this action greatly improves your opportunities. The best places for anchors are close to your competitor’s lower points and either on adjacent points or with a single point in between. Timing is essential for a powerful backgame: after all, there is no reason having two nice anchors and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break down this right away, while your opposer is shifting their pieces home, owing to the fact that you don’t have any other additional pieces to shift! In this case, it’s more tolerable to have checkers on the bar so that you are able to preserve your position up till your challenger provides you a chance to hit, so it may be an excellent idea to attempt and get your competitor to get them in this situation!