In exceptionally simple terms, there are three chief tactics used. You want to be able to hop between tactics quickly as the action of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This is comprised of creating a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as deep as you are able to achieve, to lock in your opponent’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most suitable strategy at the start of the game. You can create the wall anyplace between your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the game progresses.
The Blitz
This is composed of closing your home board as quick as possible while keeping your opponent on the bar. i.e., if your competitor rolls an early two and shifts one checker from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you are able to play 6/1 6/1 8/3 8/3. Your competitor is now in serious dire straits seeing that they have two pieces on the bar and you have closed half your home board!
The Backgame
This strategy is where you have two or more pieces in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor is a position occupied by at a minimum two of your checkers.) It must be played when you are significantly behind as it greatly improves your chances. The better places for anchor spots are close to your competitor’s lower points and either on adjacent points or with one point separating them. Timing is critical for a powerful backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having two nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then required to break apart this straight away, while your opponent is shifting their checkers home, taking into account that you do not have any other extra checkers to shift! In this case, it is better to have pieces on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position up until your opposer provides you a chance to hit, so it may be an excellent idea to attempt and get your challenger to get them in this situation!
This entry was posted on June 19, 2023, 11:25 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.