In astonishingly general terms, there are 3 general techniques used. You need to be able to switch techniques quickly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This is comprised of building a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as deep as you are able to achieve, to block in your opponent’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most acceptable course of action at the start of the match. You can assemble the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your two-point and then shift it into your home board as the game continues.
The Blitz
This consists of locking your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. e.g., if your opponent rolls an early 2 and moves one checker from your one-point to your 3-point and you then roll a five-five, you will be able to play six/one 6/1 eight/three eight/three. Your challenger is now in big-time dire straits because they have two checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inside board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have two or higher anchors in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor is a point consisting of at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It needs to be used when you are significantly behind as this strategy greatly improves your circumstances. The best areas for anchor spots are near your opponent’s lower points and also on adjacent points or with one point separating them. Timing is crucial for a competent backgame: besides, there is no reason having 2 nice anchors and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break down this straight away, while your competitor is shifting their pieces home, because you don’t have other spare checkers to shift! In this case, it is more favorable to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to preserve your position up till your competitor provides you a chance to hit, so it may be an excellent idea to try and get your challenger to get them in this case!
This entry was posted on July 22, 2019, 1:25 pm and is filed under Backgammon. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.