Backgammon – Three Basic Plans
In extraordinarily simple terms, there are three fundamental plans used. You need to be agile enough to switch game plans instantly as the course of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This comprises of creating a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at a minimum as deep as you can achieve, to block in the opponent’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most acceptable course of action at the begining of the game. You can assemble the wall anyplace inbetween your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the game continues.
The Blitz
This involves locking your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. e.g., if your challenger rolls an early two and shifts one piece from your 1-point to your three-point and you then roll a 5-5, you will be able to play six/one six/one 8/3 eight/three. Your competitor is now in serious calamity seeing that they have two pieces on the bar and you have locked half your inner board!
The Backgame
This plan is where you have two or higher anchors in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position filled by at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It would be used when you are significantly behind as it much improves your opportunities. The strongest areas for anchor spots are close to your competitor’s smaller points and also on abutting points or with a single point separating them. Timing is important for a powerful backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having 2 nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break down this straight away, while your opponent is shifting their pieces home, because you don’t have any other spare pieces to move! In this case, it’s more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you might maintain your position until your competitor gives you a chance to hit, so it may be a wonderful idea to try and get your opponent to hit them in this case!
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