Backgammon – Three Main Strategies

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In astonishingly simple terms, there are three main strategies used. You must be agile enough to hop between game plans quickly as the action of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This consists of building a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at least as thick as you are able to achieve, to barricade in your opponent’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate tactic at the begining of the game. You can assemble the wall anyplace between your eleven-point and your two-point and then shift it into your home board as the game advances.

The Blitz

This is comprised of locking your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your opposer on the bar. For example, if your opponent tosses an early 2 and shifts 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 opposer is then in serious difficulty since they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your home board!

The Backgame

This plan is where you have two or more checkers in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor is a position filled by at least two of your pieces.) It must be played when you are extremely behind as this action much improves your opportunities. The strongest areas for anchors are near your competitor’s smaller points and also on adjoining points or with one point in between. Timing is critical for an effectual backgame: at the end of the day, there is no point having two nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then required to dismantle this right away, while your competitor is getting their pieces home, seeing that you don’t have any other spare checkers to shift! In this case, it’s more favorable to have checkers on the bar so that you might maintain your position up till your challenger gives you a chance to hit, so it will be a good idea to attempt and get your opponent to hit them in this case!