Backgammon – 3 Main Strategies
In astonishingly general terms, there are 3 main techniques used. You need to be agile enough to hop between game plans quickly as the action of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This comprises of assembling a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at least as thick as you might manage, to lock in the opponent’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most acceptable procedure at the start of the game. You can assemble the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your two-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the game progresses.
The Blitz
This involves locking your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. i.e., if your challenger tosses an early 2 and moves one checker from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then roll a five-five, you will be able to play 6/1 six/one eight/three 8/3. Your opposer is now in serious dire straits considering that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have locked half your home board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have 2 or more pieces in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor is a point consisting of at a minimum two of your checkers.) It needs to be employed when you are significantly behind as it much improves your opportunities. The strongest places for anchors are close to your competitor’s smaller points and also on adjoining points or with a single point separating them. Timing is crucial for a competent backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having 2 nice anchors and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break up this straight away, while your competitor is shifting their checkers home, taking into account that you do not have any other spare pieces to shift! In this case, it is better to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position up until your competitor provides you a chance to hit, so it can be a wonderful idea to try and get your opposer to get them in this situation!