Introduction to Backgammon Strategy
After playing a few games you will definitely begin to wonder if there are things that you can do to win more in backgammon other than hoping to get better rolls. The good news is that backgammon isn't all about getting better dice results. Strategy weighs heavier in backgammon, though sometimes luck will pull some strings on rare occasions. Beginners may sometimes get confused when they're told that backgammon involves a lot of strategy.
Sometimes you get to figure out certain backgammon tactics on your own and sometimes you don't. To help you out we've put together a few recommendations to beef up your current strategy, if you already have one, or build one, if you still don't have one ready. After making use of the following tactics and making them a part of your backgammon strategy you can move on and learn other stuff to reinforce your total game plan.
Other than running your checkers around as fast as possible you might have already been doing our first backgammon tactic. The first tactic you might want to add to your backgammon strategy is to hit blots. Some beginners will be afraid to hit blots, especially if hitting a blot means leaving the checker you used to hit vulnerable.
To change your mind about this, hitting opposing blots makes your opponent run the whole track all over again from the start. This will be a great part of your backgammon strategy. You're making your opponent waste time and dice rolls if you send opposing checkers to the bar. Another reason why you should hit blots is that you limit your opponent's possible moves. Since entering a checker from the bar takes up one dice roll, your opponent will only be left with half of all the possible options.
The second tactic you should add to your strategy is to make blocking points. The obvious reason for making these points is to avoid getting hit. The second reason is that you're making it harder for your opponent to move checkers around on the backgammon board. The more blocking points you make the less are your opponent's options to land on. Blocking points on your home board and on the bar points are excellent additions to your backgammon strategy.
The last thing you should add to a backgammon strategy is to escape your back checkers as soon as possible. Back checkers are the object of a lot of attacks. Not being able to escape them makes the rest of your strategy worthless. There isn't much you can do if everything is set but your back checkers are trapped.
Remember to add these backgammon tactics to your strategy. You can add others as you go along your way in backgammon.