Backgammon – Three Main Techniques

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In extraordinarily general terms, there are three chief tactics used. You want to be agile enough to hop between strategies quickly as the action of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This consists of creating a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as thick as you can achieve, to barricade in the opponent’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most acceptable strategy at the begining of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the game continues.

The Blitz

This involves closing your home board as fast as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. e.g., if your opponent rolls an early 2 and shifts one piece from your one-point to your 3-point and you then roll a 5-5, you are able to play 6/1 6/1 8/3 8/3. Your opposer is now in big-time calamity taking into account that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!

The Backgame

This plan is where you have 2 or more checkers in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position occupied by at a minimum two of your checkers.) It should be used when you are decidedly behind as it greatly improves your opportunities. The best places for anchors are close to your competitor’s lower points and also on adjacent points or with one point separating them. Timing is critical for an effective backgame: at the end of the day, there is no reason having two nice anchors and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then forced to dismantle this right away, while your challenger is getting their pieces home, taking into account that you don’t have any other extra checkers to move! In this case, it is more tolerable to have checkers on the bar so that you are able to preserve your position up until your opposer gives you an opportunity to hit, so it will be a good idea to attempt and get your competitor to hit them in this case!