How to Win at Backgammon

You gammon, or backgammon, your opponent when you bear off some or all of your checkers respectively before your opponent gets even one of his checkers off the board.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2 Chairs
• Card Tables
• Backgammon Sets
• Backgammon CD-ROMs

Offense

1. Set up the backgammon board (see the Related eHow).

2. Play backgammon (see the Related eHow).

3. Block your opponent, as quickly as possible, from exiting your home board.

4. Distribute your checkers over the board in pairs.

5. Set up six points in a row to form a prime, which keeps your opponent from moving out from behind that area for as long as you can maintain it.

6. Attack blots strategically. Hit unprotected checkers that are more advanced and that your opponent would like to cover.

7. Double if you think you are well enough ahead to warrant it.

Defense

8. Be aware that you can be damaged later by checkers on the bar that can land on blots left as you bear off from your home board.

9. Set up defensive points or anchors on your opponent's home board. These will give you a place to land if you get hit and put on the bar.

10. Expose yourself less as your opponent's home board becomes stronger.

Tips & Warnings

• An ideal opening roll would be a six and a four. With this, you could move one checker from the three on the eight point to the five on the six point, to place two checkers on the four point.
• Similarly, rolls of one and three or three and five are good, particularly early in the game.
• Remember defense is as important as offense.

[Woolrich]

on 5/7/2007 Sorry, the first roll I am referring to is the 6-4 as what the the explanation calls an ideal roll. 6-1 is actually an excellent first roll.

[Woolrich]

on 5/7/2007 who writes these explanations??? "6-1" as an ideal first roll? I rank that roll NEAR the bottom of the rolls desired at the start. Even the 5-2 is better i fell because it does not advance pieces too deep into you home early in the game, as the 6-4 tends to do. Take your chances early in the game (within reason) when leaving pieces open. These become what I call "option" pieces, along with any extra pieces (over the 2 needed to establish an anchor) on points. The more options you have in backgammon the better. Lets you diversify your moves and respond to a wider range of dice rolls. Remembver, early in the game and within reason when opening pieces up.

on 8/7/2006 The double potential on a first roll is only for the player not going first. Since the common way of deciding who goes first is to have both players roll 1 die, and the higher goes first and uses both dice for the first move. Having doubles doesn't happen on the very first roll of the game.

on 3/2/2006 According to roll outs performed by the most advanced backgammon software, 3-1 is the opening roll that gives the most advantage. This allows you to make the five-point in your inner board, a good tactical move. Your opponent's five point is the most important point on the board, as it puts pressure on his outfield, provides a landing for any pieces that are hit, and prevents you being primed out. This is why 3-1 is so good - by taking the point your opponent most wants to make, you're cutting off a lot of his offensive and defensive options very early on in the game.

In short, the best way to win at backgammon is to play a lot of it, read a lot about it, record and analyze your matches, play against good players who will teach you more about it, play against backgammon programs like GNU Backgammon, and if all else fails, a rule of thumb is: if you don't know how to play a particular move, go for whatever looks prettiest. And have fun!

on 11/22/2005 Double 1's are the ideal roll. Move two checkers from your eight point to your bar point (seven point), and two from your six point to your five point. This establishes the most important points, and begins to build a defense to trap your opponent's two checkers in your inner board.