Backgammon – Three Main Strategies

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In exceptionally simple terms, there are 3 general game plans employed. You want to be able to switch tactics instantly as the action of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This is comprised of building a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at least as deep as you are able to manage, to block in your competitor’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate procedure at the begining of the game. You can build the wall anywhere within your 11-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the game continues.

The Blitz

This is comprised of locking your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your opposer on the bar. For example, if your opponent rolls an early 2 and shifts one checker from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a five-five, you will be able to play 6/1 6/1 eight/three eight/three. Your opponent is then in serious difficulty due to the fact that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inner board!

The Backgame

This tactic is where you have 2 or more anchors in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor is a point occupied by at least two of your checkers.) It would be employed when you are extremely behind as this plan much improves your opportunities. The strongest locations for anchors are near your competitor’s smaller points and also on adjoining points or with a single point separating them. Timing is important for a competent backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no point having 2 nice anchors and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then required to dismantle this straight away, while your opposer is moving their checkers home, seeing that you do not have other additional checkers to move! In this case, it’s more favorable to have checkers on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position up till your opposer provides you an opportunity to hit, so it will be a wonderful idea to try and get your opposer to hit them in this case!

The Essential Facts of Backgammon Game Plans – Part Two

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As we have dicussed in the previous article, Backgammon is a game of talent and pure luck. The goal is to shift your chips carefully around the game board to your home board while at the same time your opponent shifts their pieces toward their inside board in the opposite direction. With opposing player checkers moving in opposite directions there is bound to be conflict and the need for specific strategies at particular instances. Here are the two final Backgammon techniques to round out your game.

The Priming Game Plan

If the aim of the blocking plan is to slow down the opponent to move their checkers, the Priming Game strategy is to completely stop any activity of the opposing player by building a prime – ideally 6 points in a row. The competitor’s pieces will either get bumped, or result a bad position if he/she at all tries to escape the wall. The ambush of the prime can be setup anyplace between point 2 and point eleven in your game board. Once you have successfully built the prime to prevent the activity of the competitor, your opponent does not even get to toss the dice, and you move your chips and roll the dice again. You will win the game for sure.

The Back Game Tactic

The aims of the Back Game technique and the Blocking Game technique are similar – to harm your competitor’s positions hoping to improve your chances of winning, but the Back Game tactic uses seperate techniques to achieve that. The Back Game tactic is commonly employed when you are far behind your competitor. To play Backgammon with this technique, you have to hold two or more points in table, and to hit a blot late in the game. This strategy is more complex than others to use in Backgammon seeing as it requires careful movement of your pieces and how the chips are relocated is partially the outcome of the dice roll.