Backgammon – Three General Strategies

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In extraordinarily general terms, there are 3 general tactics used. You want to be able to switch techniques quickly as the action of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This is comprised of assembling a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you can achieve, to lock in the competitor’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most acceptable strategy at the start of the game. You can create the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the game progresses.

The Blitz

This is comprised of closing your home board as quick as as you can while keeping your opposer on the bar. For example, if your opponent tosses an early 2 and moves one checker from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then toss a five-five, you can play six/one six/one 8/3 8/3. Your competitor is then in serious calamity considering that they have two checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inside board!

The Backgame

This strategy is where you have two or more checkers in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor is a point consisting of at least 2 of your checkers.) It needs to be played when you are significantly behind as this strategy greatly improves your circumstances. The strongest areas for anchors are near your competitor’s smaller points and also on adjacent points or with a single point in between. Timing is integral for a powerful backgame: at the end of the day, there is no reason having 2 nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break apart this straight away, while your opponent is shifting their pieces home, because you don’t have any other additional pieces to move! In this situation, it’s more favorable to have pieces on the bar so that you might preserve your position up until your challenger gives you a chance to hit, so it can be a good idea to try and get your opposer to get them in this case!