Posted by Darien | Posted in Backgammon | Posted on 04-07-2021
In astonishingly general terms, there are 3 general plans employed. You need to be able to hop between tactics quickly as the action of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This is comprised of assembling a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you might manage, to lock in the competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most acceptable course of action at the begining of the match. You can build the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your two-point and then move it into your home board as the match continues.
The Blitz
This is composed of locking your home board as quick as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. i.e., if your opponent rolls an early 2 and shifts one checker from your one-point to your three-point and you then toss a 5-5, you can play 6/1 six/one eight/three eight/three. Your opponent is now in big-time trouble because they have two checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inner board!
The Backgame
This plan is where you have 2 or more pieces in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at least 2 of your pieces.) It would be employed when you are decidedly behind as it much improves your opportunities. The better locations for anchor spots are near your competitor’s lower points and also on abutting points or with a single point separating them. Timing is critical for an effective backgame: besides, there’s no point having two nice anchors and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then forced to dismantle this straight away, while your opponent is shifting their pieces home, owing to the fact that you do not have other extra checkers to move! In this case, it’s better to have checkers on the bar so that you can maintain your position up till your opposer provides you a chance to hit, so it may be a wonderful idea to try and get your opposer to get them in this case!