Backgammon – 3 Main Schemes
Posted in Backgammon on 02/10/2025 10:25 pm by ZaireIn extraordinarily general terms, there are three general game plans employed. You want to be agile enough to switch strategies quickly as the course of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This consists of assembling a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at a minimum as deep 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 begining of the match. You can build the wall anywhere within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the match continues.
The Blitz
This consists of closing your home board as fast as possible while keeping your opponent on the bar. e.g., if your competitor rolls an early 2 and shifts one piece from your one-point to your 3-point and you then roll a five-five, you will be able to play six/one six/one eight/three 8/3. Your opposer is now in serious trouble because they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!
The Backgame
This tactic is where you have 2 or more pieces in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor spot is a point filled by at a minimum two of your checkers.) It must be employed when you are decidedly behind as it much improves your circumstances. The best areas for anchor spots are near your competitor’s lower points and either on abutting points or with a single point separating them. Timing is critical for a powerful backgame: after all, there’s no point having 2 nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then required to break down this straight away, while your opposer is shifting their checkers home, seeing that you don’t have any other extra pieces to shift! In this situation, it is more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you might preserve your position up till your opposer provides you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a good idea to try and get your opponent to hit them in this case!