Backgammon – Three General Schemes
In exceptionally simple terms, there are 3 chief plans used. You must be agile enough to hop between tactics instantly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This is composed of building a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as thick as you might manage, to barricade in the opponent’s checkers that are located on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate course of action at the start of the game. You can create the wall anywhere inbetween your 11-point and your two-point and then move it into your home board as the game progresses.
The Blitz
This is comprised of closing your home board as fast as as you can while keeping your opposer on the bar. e.g., if your competitor rolls an early 2 and shifts one checker from your one-point to your three-point and you then toss a five-five, you can play 6/1 six/one eight/three 8/3. Your challenger is now in serious difficulty since they have two pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inside board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have 2 or higher checkers in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor is a point consisting of at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It must be employed when you are significantly behind as this plan much improves your chances. The best locations for anchor spots are near your opponent’s lower points and also on adjacent points or with a single point separating them. Timing is important for a powerful backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no point having 2 nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break up this right away, while your competitor is getting their checkers home, seeing that you don’t have any other extra pieces to move! In this case, it is more tolerable to have checkers on the bar so that you can maintain your position up until your opposer gives you an opportunity to hit, so it will be a great idea to try and get your competitor to hit them in this case!