Backgammon Basic Strategy
Beginners may wonder how can there be any strategy in backgammon when all you have to do is be the first to bear off all your checkers. Well, two obvious things we see during a backgammon game are two players rolling dice and making their respective legal moves, and both backgammon players adjusting what moves they can make depending on the outcome on the dice.
Pretty simple obvious view, yet it doesn't see the underlying strategies that can be applied to a game of backgammon. The above definition relies heavily on luck to pull things together. Unfortunately, backgammon is not all about luck. A lot of things behind backgammon are the strategies involved that prove the skill of each player.
Basically, every form of basic strategy in backgammon relies on three fundamental moves you can do during a game. You can hit enemy checkers, make points on the backgammon board, or run your checkers to safety. From these three basic strategies come the fundamental strategies used in backgammon (i.e. priming game, blitz, etc.). Let's discuss each basic strategy and see how it helps us along as a game of backgammon goes by.
First basic strategy we'll look at is the most obvious one, which is to run your checkers to safety. One of the very first impressions we get when we see folks play backgammon is that it is a race to the finish line. Backgammon does involve a race to the bear off all checkers from the board. Though a lot of games don't end in this fashion, a race is the initial idea in backgammon in the first place.
Since we're already dealing with the backgammon race, a primary concern for every backgammon player would be the last two checkers you need to run to safety (i.e. the back men). These two checkers often become the target of barricades to hinder them. If you have a chance to run one of these guys to safety, then do it.
Next basic strategy is hitting your opponent's blots. A blot is a lone checker standing on a point on the backgammon board. Another part of backgammon game play is the opportunity to send your opponent's checker back to square one (i.e. the bar). There are strategies in backgammon that makes full use of this basic strategy.
Last basic strategy is to make points on the backgammon board. When you occupy a point with at least two checkers you have made a roadblock where your opponent can't land on. Making these points hinder your opponent's movement and progression.
Every basic strategy mentioned here is fundamental to other strategies and principles. Make full use of them next time you play backgammon, then you can incorporate other strategies into your game plan.
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