Read articles on
|
Strategies for the Advanced Level
March 29th 2006
Advanced Level refers to a point from where you can start winning. The basic winning strategy depends upon three factors
>> Read the whole article
|
Strategy for Beginners
March 27th 2006
As a beginner, you need to focus on the key objective of the game. In a nutshell, the objective is to bring all the checkers to your inner board and to finally start bearing them off.
>> Read the whole article
|
|
|
|
Race is On
In the Backgammon race the object is to get your pieces off the board before your opponent does. A simplistic task you would think, but that depends upon how you move your pieces around the board in the first place, so let’s look at ways to make that happen and to leave your opponent in your wake.
It seems a little crazy to lose a piece to your opponent early on, but it could turn out to be a smart move. Why? At the start you both have less pieces in your home board, so it’s easier to get those pieces back in the game and round the board to your home. The more pieces your opponent has in their home board later in the game, the harder it will become to do anything with them. Just by leaving one or two pieces open can make it easier for you in the latter stages when you have your pieces almost all home and on the way off the board to win.
Your distribution plays a big parting your win. Try not to have six on any one point. No time ever more than six; you’re too easier a target then. And while it might seem a good move to have two pieces on four spots, it’s not. . Go for three checkers on two spots at once. The dice appear to fall better with more even distribution so you have more chances of winning the game.
Always block your opponent in your home board. They will have a harder time getting out as you bring more pieces in to go off the board. Start early and get six pieces inside your home board this way you block your opponent in but still get your own pieces into your home board. Six in a row is called a prime in backgammon. The best places to try and block from are points 4, 5, and 7.
Before embarking on the finishing straight so to speak hit as many pieces as you can. But don’t hit for the sake of hitting, this can work against you. If your opponent has at least two bars in their home board, it is better for you to get your pieces home instead of taking out another piece of theirs. Never hit if are threatened by hits or blocks to you. This works against you.
Always protect what you have and one way to do this is, called anchoring. This is where you have a strong spot on their home board. It helps if you get hit, you have a strong spot, an anchor, to move your piece back on the board safely. It also keeps the opposition from being able to go out themselves. With more than one anchor it can help if you are behind in points early on, as well as making you stronger. If you do have two points make them adjacent to make it harder for your opposition to move onto their home board.
These are just simple and constructive tips to get you into the Race for the finishing line, but remember the opposition has the same ideas as you have.
back to the article page
|
|
© Copyright 2005 Onlinebackgammon.com Limited.