Backgammon – Three Main Schemes
by Caden on November 14th, 2024
In astonishingly general terms, there are 3 fundamental strategies used. You want to be agile enough to switch techniques instantly as the action of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This consists of creating a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at a minimum as deep as you might manage, to lock in the competitor’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most suitable tactic at the start of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere between your 11-point and your two-point and then shift it into your home board as the match continues.
The Blitz
This is comprised of locking your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your challenger on the bar. e.g., if your competitor tosses an early two and moves one checker from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then roll a 5-5, you are able to play 6/1 6/1 8/3 8/3. Your competitor is then in serious dire straits seeing that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have two or higher checkers in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor spot is a point consisting of at a minimum two of your checkers.) It must be played when you are significantly behind as it greatly improves your opportunities. The strongest places for anchors are towards your competitor’s smaller points and also on adjacent points or with one point separating them. Timing is essential for a powerful backgame: after all, there is no reason having 2 nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then required to break apart this straight away, while your opponent is shifting their pieces home, considering that you don’t have other extra checkers to shift! In this situation, it’s more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you can maintain your position up until your challenger gives you an opportunity to hit, so it may be an excellent idea to try and get your opponent to get them in this situation!
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