Backgammon Full Prime - Attack and Defense
When we talk about primes in backgammon, we refer to a consecutive row or blocking points. This array of blocking points serve as a wall trapping your opponent's back checkers. A player executing this backgammon strategy is using a priming game. The longer a prime the more effective it is as a trap. We'll examine what is a full prime and how it is used.
Players who have made full primes instantly become the one favored to win a game. A full prime is a prime in backgammon that is six points long. Usually when one player makes a full prime the game turns into a question of whether that player can win a gammon or not. Knowing how to attack using a full prime and defending against a full prime becomes a fundamental strategic issue.
Once you have a full prime set up you have neatly cornered your opponent's checkers. Everything should be easy from this point on. Unfortunately this isn't always the case since you have a random element in the game, which is the roll of the dice. Remember to always take flexible positions even if you have your full prime set up. This ensures you won't have to break up your full prime in case you have no other option given a bad roll.
A good place to start moving checkers are your back men. At this point it will be quite safe to keep hitting opposing checkers and leave blots on the backgammon board. Move your checkers from the last man in the pack and bring them over as additional checkers on your prime. The next phase is to slowly roll your prime forward into your home board. You should start from the checkers at end moving them forward without making blots. The process will be slow but it ensures your victory in a backgammon game if you do so.
Defending against a full prime is probably the worst thing to face in backgammon. But you shouldn't lose heart in a backgammon game if you know what you're doing in this stage. Keep building anchors and prepare to hit blots as soon as they come around. One precaution though is that you should think twice about hitting blots if your checker still ends up behind the full prime. But if hitting a blot would make your opponent break the full prime then do it.
The other phase of the defense is to make points on your own home board. You will want your opponent to spend more time with checkers on the bar after you hit blots. To sum up your defense, you should make anchors in preparation to hit and break the full prime, make more home board points to keep opposing checkers stuck at the bar, and position your anchors right beside your opponent's full prime. That is how you attack and defend against a full prime.
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