Backgammon – 3 General Plans
In astonishingly general terms, there are 3 general plans used. You need to be agile enough to hop between tactics quickly as the course of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This involves building a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at least as thick as you are able to achieve, to lock in your competitor’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most suitable course of action at the begining of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere inbetween your eleven-point and your two-point and then shift it into your home board as the match progresses.
The Blitz
This consists of locking your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. e.g., if your opposer tosses an early 2 and moves one piece from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you are able to play six/one 6/1 eight/three eight/three. Your opposer is then in big-time trouble due to the fact that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your home board!
The Backgame
This strategy is where you have 2 or more pieces in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a point occupied by at a minimum two of your pieces.) It needs to be played when you are decidedly behind as this strategy greatly improves your opportunities. The strongest areas for anchors are close to your opponent’s lower points and also on adjoining points or with a single point in between. Timing is crucial for a powerful backgame: besides, there’s no point having 2 nice anchors and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then required to break up this right away, while your opponent is getting their pieces home, owing to the fact that you don’t have other spare checkers to shift! In this case, it is better to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position up till your opposer gives you a chance to hit, so it may be a good idea to attempt and get your opponent to get them in this case!