Backgammon – 3 Main Strategies
Posted in Backgammon on 08/23/2025 11:25 pm by Zaire
In extraordinarily general terms, there are three fundamental plans employed. You need to be agile enough to hop between tactics almost instantly as the action of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This comprises of assembling a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at least as deep as you might manage, to block in the opponent’s checkers that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most adequate course of action at the begining of the match. You can create the wall anywhere within your 11-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the match continues.
The Blitz
This involves locking your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your opposer on the bar. e.g., if your challenger tosses an early two and shifts one checker from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then toss a five-five, you are able to play 6/1 6/1 eight/three eight/three. Your competitor is then in serious trouble taking into account that they have two checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inner board!
The Backgame
This plan is where you have two or more checkers in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor spot is a position occupied by at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It should be employed when you are significantly behind as this plan greatly improves your circumstances. The best areas for anchors are towards your competitor’s lower points and also on adjacent points or with a single point in between. Timing is integral for a powerful backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having two nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then required to dismantle this straight away, while your challenger is shifting their checkers home, considering that you don’t have any other additional checkers to shift! In this case, it is better to have checkers on the bar so that you might maintain your position until your competitor gives you a chance to hit, so it can be a good idea to attempt and get your competitor to hit them in this case!