Backgammon Strategy: Master Tips to Dominate the Board

Backgammon is an enduringly popular game of luck and strategy which has been captivating players for literally thousands of years. Whether you’re a total newbie or an occasional player looking to refine your game, nailing down the basics and building on them towards advanced techniques can really boost your playing performance. This guide will take you from the very basics to a more advanced understanding of the game and help you win against opponents of varying skill levels.

Backgammon Basics for Beginners

To the uninitiated, backgammon can seem complicated, and it is certainly beneficial to learn by playing, as this will help you visualize the theory of the game. But the core points are as follows: The game is played using black and white checkers on a board with 24 “points” (triangular spaces), split into four sections: we’ll call them Black Home, White Home, Black Outer and White Outer.

• Each player has 15 checkers which move based on the roll of two dice. The intention is to move your checkers into your home section and off the board before your opponent does.
• You need to understand the key elements of the game, which are the layout of the points, the nature of the home boards, and the bar. We’ll cover these in more detail soon.
• The accepted best strategy is to spread your checkers across the board in a way which enables you to get them to your home board, while preventing your opponent from doing likewise.
• You should keep track of your “pip count”, which is the number of spaces your checkers need to move to reach your home board; the lower, the better.
• The doubling cube is important. It raises the stakes and can make a huge impact when played at the right time - but this isn’t that important until you know the game more broadly.

Knowing these key points, let’s take a look at the “how to” of playing backgammon.

• Setup: The triangles/points are numbered 1-24 (these numbers may be marked on the board or you may need to keep track of them yourself. You have 15 checkers which you place as follows: Two on your 24 point, five on your 13 point, three on your 8 point, and five on your 6 point.
• Starting the game: Both players roll a single die each. The player with the highest number starts the game, with the two players’ rolls counting as their first roll.
• Moving: On each turn, the numbers on the two dice rolled represent the spaces a player can move their checkers. So if the player with black pieces rolls a six and the player with white rolls a three, Black can move one checker six spaces, and another three spaces. They may also move one checker nine spaces (6+3), if there is a free space to move to.
• The Blot: A checker that is on its own, isolated on a triangle, is called a blot. If their opponent lands on this space, the player whose piece is isolated must move it to the “bar” - the thick line separating the Home boards from the Outer.
• Building points and blocking: If your dice rolls allow, you can line up two checkers on one space, making that space safe and avoiding a Blot. If you have two checkers on a space, this also prevents your opponent from landing on or moving through that space; if they have no available spaces to move to, the turn passes back to you with them not moving.
• Bearing off: The aim of the game. Once you have moved all your pieces to your home board (the triangles numbered 1-6), you can start moving them off the board when you roll a number that corresponds to the triangle they are on. If you do not roll such a number, you can move one of your checkers the number of spaces marked on the die, as long as that number is lower than the space it is on. If there are no remaining stones on higher-numbered spaces, you can start to move off lower-numbered pieces.

Mastering Advanced Backgammon Strategies

The more you play backgammon, the more familiar you will become with the board and basic strategy. Once you are confident in your basics, the time comes to start to build on those with more advanced strategies. Some decent examples of such strategy are as follows:

• Priming: This is where you build blocks on consecutive spaces; the more consecutive spaces you can block off, the greater the chance your opponent will have to forfeit their move.
• Blitzing: This is a two-part strategy. While building blocks on your home board (where the opponent needs to move to escape the Bar), you target any Blots they may have on the board. The impact of this is to send their checkers to the Bar, while limiting their ability to move off it when their turn comes.
• Back Game: In this approach, you strategically maintain some checkers in your opponent’s Home board, in the aim of preventing them from Bearing off. You cannot do this indefinitely, of course, because you yourself cannot Bear off until all your pieces are Home.
• Holding Game: Based on where your opponent’s checkers are, this strategy maintains checkers at strategic points with the aim of controlling the board until you are ready to aim for the win.

Sound tactics in this area involve monitoring your opponent’s habits and anticipating what they will look to do with their moves, and then building defenses against that until you can go on the attack.

Winning Tips: Best Backgammon Moves

Balance is essential in backgammon. If you take an approach that is too attacking, you run the risk of isolating your pieces and allowing your opponent an advantage. Too circumspect, and you will slow down your approach to an eventual win, allowing your opponent to gather their pieces for an attack. Your focus should be on:

• Building anchors on the board that prevent your opponent from moving easily - this will see them wasting their moves.
• Where possible, avoid leaving blots on the board so as to reduce the risk of being sent to the bar and isolated there.
• Use the doubling cube strategically, if at all. If you are in a strong position, offer your opponent the cube and, if they accept, it will apply to all future moves until they decide to up the stakes further. Be aware that they are only likely to accept if they can see an advantage in allowing it to be used, so it is not without risk.
• Bear off safely: try to build blocks in your Home board until such time as you have all your pieces Home, avoiding leaving gaps which your opponent can then block off.
• When your opponent has the dice, watch their moves closely to gain an understanding of their weaknesses. Having an idea of what they will do is in many ways as important as knowing what you’re going to do.

Prioritize your moves as follows, from the basics that stop you losing to the ambitious approaches that will win you games:

1. Moving checkers towards your home board - the end goal of the game.
2. Building primes to slow your opponent’s progress towards that same goal.
3. Hitting blots when it is possible strategically without overextending your position.

The Ultimate Guide to Backgammon Strategy

The core principles of backgammon are simple enough when you fully understand the game, and sticking to them will give you the best possible chance of winning more often than not. It is these principles that you need to keep in mind when playing the game.

• The risk-reward balance: Taking risks can lose you the game - but being risk-averse can be as much of a problem. Without the courage to make an attacking move when it’s on, you won’t win against most opponents.
• Timing your back game: Eventually, you will need to move all your pieces towards Home, and it’s knowing when to do so that will see your game move up a level. Don’t move your holding pieces from your opponent’s home quarter until you feel you have the upper hand.
• Use your psychological edge: If you’re feeling confident, offer the doubling cube. If your opponent accepts, you can step up your attack. If they decline, it’s a sign that they aren’t confident in their position, and you can begin to play more aggressively.
• Play a few practice games: You can take the chance to see which moves work well when the dice land a certain way. You’ll get a sense for what works and what doesn’t. When you’ve lost a game, try to go through it move by move and see what you’d do differently next time.

How to Win at Backgammon Every Time

The truth is, there is no guaranteed way to ensure a win at backgammon. All you can do is enhance your chances to win, which is dependent on learning from every game you play and making the right moves at the right time. It’s a game with a solid luck element, but your luck can improve if you remember the following.

• Memorize the effects of opening moves. Certain dice roll combinations have optimal responses, and you’ll learn from what has worked and what hasn’t.
• Focus on controlling areas. Securing the significant points on the board increases your chances of winning, so keep an eye on key triangles.
• Maintain flexibility. Dominating territory is big in backgammon, so ensure a wide distribution of your checkers until you’re ready to attack.
• Learn from mistakes. Early on, you’re likely to make errors such as overusing the doubling cube, leaving blots and being too offensive or defensive. Remember these occasions and work to stop them happening again.

Backgammon Strategy Tutorials for All Levels

There is no stage at which you can have no more to learn when it comes to playing and winning at backgammon. It’s beneficial to always be learning more, and finding new ways to attack and defend. If you find that you win every game, try to change your tactics to challenge yourself, seeing if you can win when playing differently from your usual approach. There are plenty of tutorials online where you can hone your game, and which ones you focus on should be governed by your playing level.

• As a beginner, focus on elements such as the opening board setup, basics of movement, and early game tactics.
• Once you’ve got the basics down and are starting to win games, intermediate tutorials should focus on probability analysis to help you anticipate moves and responses to dice rolls.
• When you feel you’re ready to master the game, more advanced tutorials should be included, focusing on blitzing, priming and your back game.
• Reading books, such as Backgammon by Paul Magriel, will also help you understand the game.

Is Backgammon Really a Strategy Game?

Finally, you may ask whether backgammon is a game of strategy, and whether tips, tutorials and tactics will actually help you win. After all, the game turns on the roll of the dice - doesn’t that make it a game of luck?

The only real answer to this is that yes, of course luck plays a huge part in the game, but this is true of literally every game. A ball can bounce awkwardly in a game of soccer and gift one team a goal. A chess player can make a surprise move that even they didn’t really understand and open up a route to victory. In backgammon, the dice decide how you can move. However, it is you who decides where you move and when. It is, without a doubt, a game of strategy. That means you can get better, learn more, and win games more frequently if you’re prepared to learn. Play more backgammon at 247backgammon.org and watch as your game improves.

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