Backgammon – 3 Main Plans
In astonishingly general terms, there are 3 main game plans employed. You want to be able to switch techniques quickly 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 might manage, to barricade in the competitor’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate strategy at the start of the match. You can assemble the wall anyplace between your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the match advances.
The Blitz
This is composed of locking your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. i.e., if your opponent tosses an early 2 and moves one checker from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a 5-5, you are able to play 6/1 six/one eight/three 8/3. Your competitor is now in big-time dire straits considering that they have two checkers on the bar and you have locked half your home board!
The Backgame
This plan is where you have 2 or more checkers in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position filled by at least 2 of your checkers.) It must be played when you are significantly behind as it much improves your circumstances. The strongest locations for anchors are towards your opponent’s smaller points and either on abutting points or with a single point separating them. Timing is integral for an effective backgame: after all, there’s no reason having two nice anchors and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break up this straight away, while your challenger is shifting their checkers home, owing to the fact that you do not have any other spare checkers to shift! In this case, it is more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you might maintain your position until your opponent provides you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a good idea to attempt and get your opposer to hit them in this case!