Backgammon – 3 Main Strategies
In extraordinarily general terms, there are three fundamental plans used. You want to be able to hop between tactics quickly as the course of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This consists of building a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as thick as you are able to manage, to lock in the opponent’s checkers that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most suitable course of action at the begining of the match. You can create the wall anyplace inbetween your 11-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the match continues.
The Blitz
This is composed of closing your home board as quick as possible while keeping your opponent on the bar. e.g., if your opposer tosses an early 2 and moves one piece from your one-point to your three-point and you then toss a 5-5, you are able to play 6/1 six/one eight/three 8/3. Your opponent is then in big-time dire straits seeing that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your home board!
The Backgame
This plan is where you have 2 or more anchors in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at a minimum two of your checkers.) It needs to be used when you are decidedly behind as it greatly improves your opportunities. The best places for anchor spots are close to your competitor’s lower points and either on abutting points or with a single point separating them. Timing is integral for a powerful backgame: besides, there’s no reason having two nice anchors and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break up this straight away, while your opposer is getting their checkers home, considering that you don’t have any other additional pieces to move! In this case, it’s more favorable to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to preserve your position up until your opponent provides you a chance to hit, so it may be a wonderful idea to attempt and get your opponent to hit them in this case!