Backgammon – 3 Main Schemes
In very simple terms, there are three main game plans used. You want to be agile enough to hop between strategies instantly as the course of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This consists of building a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at least as deep as you can manage, to block in the opponent’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most acceptable procedure at the start of the game. You can assemble the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your two-point and then shift it into your home board as the match continues.
The Blitz
This involves locking your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. e.g., if your opposer rolls an early two and shifts one checker from your one-point to your three-point and you then toss a five-five, you are able to play 6/1 six/one 8/3 eight/three. Your competitor is now in serious calamity considering that they have two pieces on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have two or higher anchors in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor is a point occupied by at least two of your checkers.) It needs to be used when you are decidedly behind as it much improves your opportunities. The strongest areas for anchors are near your competitor’s smaller points and also on abutting points or with a single point separating them. Timing is important for an effective backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no point having 2 nice anchors and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then required to break up this right away, while your opposer is getting their pieces home, owing to the fact 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 can maintain your position up till your opposer gives you an opportunity to hit, so it may be an excellent idea to try and get your opponent to hit them in this situation!
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