Backgammon – 3 General Strategies

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In very simple terms, there are three general techniques employed. You need to be agile enough to hop between game plans quickly as the course of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This is composed of building a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you can manage, to lock in your opponent’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most suitable procedure at the start of the game. You can assemble the wall anyplace between your eleven-point and your two-point and then move it into your home board as the game progresses.

The Blitz

This is comprised of locking your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your opposer on the bar. For example, if your opponent tosses an early 2 and moves one checker from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a five-five, you will be able to play six/one 6/1 8/3 8/3. Your competitor is now in big-time difficulty due to the fact that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!

The Backgame

This strategy is where you have 2 or higher checkers in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at least 2 of your pieces.) It would be used when you are significantly behind as this action much improves your circumstances. The better places for anchors are close to your competitor’s smaller points and either on adjacent points or with a single point separating them. Timing is essential for a powerful backgame: after all, there is no point having two nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to dismantle this straight away, while your opposer is moving their checkers home, considering that you don’t have any other additional pieces to shift! In this situation, it is more tolerable to have checkers on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position until your opponent provides you a chance to hit, so it may be a great idea to try and get your opponent to hit them in this situation!