Backgammon – Three General Schemes

In astonishingly simple terms, there are 3 fundamental game plans employed. You must be able to hop between tactics quickly as the action of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This comprises of assembling a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as deep as you are able to achieve, to block in your opponent’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most acceptable procedure at the start of the game. You can build the wall anywhere within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the game advances.

The Blitz

This is composed of locking your home board as fast as possible while keeping your challenger on the bar. e.g., if your competitor tosses an early 2 and shifts one checker from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a 5-5, you can play 6/1 six/one 8/3 eight/three. Your opposer is now in serious dire straits seeing that they have two checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!

The Backgame

This course of action is where you have two or higher anchors in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a point consisting of at least two of your pieces.) It would be employed when you are decidedly behind as this plan greatly improves your chances. The best places for anchor spots are near your opponent’s smaller points and either on adjoining points or with one point in between. Timing is critical for an effectual backgame: besides, there is no point having 2 nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then required to break up this straight away, while your challenger is getting their checkers home, seeing that you don’t have any other additional checkers to shift! In this situation, it’s better to have checkers on the bar so that you might maintain your position up until your competitor gives you a chance to hit, so it will be a good idea to try and get your competitor to get them in this case!

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