Backgammon – 3 General Schemes
In exceptionally simple terms, there are three chief techniques employed. You must be agile enough to hop between techniques almost instantly as the course of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This comprises of creating a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at least as thick as you might manage, to barricade in the opponent’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most suitable tactic at the start of the match. You can build the wall anywhere between your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the match advances.
The Blitz
This is comprised of locking your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your competitor on the bar. For example, if your opponent rolls an early two and shifts one piece from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a 5-5, you can play six/one 6/1 eight/three eight/three. Your opposer is now in big-time calamity considering that they have two pieces on the bar and you have closed half your home board!
The Backgame
This strategy is where you have 2 or more pieces in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at a minimum 2 of your checkers.) It would be played when you are decidedly behind as this plan much improves your chances. The best places for anchor spots are close to your opponent’s smaller points and also on adjacent points or with a single point separating them. Timing is integral for a competent backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no point having two nice anchors and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then required to break apart this straight away, while your challenger is shifting their checkers home, taking into account that you don’t have any other spare pieces to shift! In this situation, it is more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position until your challenger gives you a chance to hit, so it may be a wonderful idea to try and get your competitor to get them in this case!