Backgammon – Three General Strategies
In very general terms, there are three general plans used. You want to be agile enough to hop between game plans almost instantly as the course of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This involves assembling a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at a minimum as thick as you are able to manage, to barricade 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 build the wall anywhere inbetween your eleven-point and your two-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the match progresses.
The Blitz
This consists of closing your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your competitor on the bar. e.g., if your opposer tosses an early 2 and moves one checker from your 1-point to your three-point and you then toss a five-five, you can play 6/1 six/one eight/three eight/three. Your challenger is now in serious calamity due to the fact that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!
The Backgame
This tactic is where you have 2 or higher pieces in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a point consisting of at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It would be played when you are extremely behind as it much improves your opportunities. The best locations for anchor spots are near your opponent’s lower points and either on adjoining points or with one point in between. Timing is important for a competent backgame: besides, there is no point having 2 nice anchors and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break up this straight away, while your opponent is getting their pieces home, taking into account that you don’t have any other extra pieces to move! In this case, it’s better to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to preserve your position up till your challenger provides you an opportunity to hit, so it will be a great idea to try and get your opposer to hit them in this case!
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