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Backgammon Strategy
Backgammon has an established
opening theory, although it is less detailed than that of games like
chess. The tree of checker positions expands quickly because of the
number of possible dice rolls and the moves available on each turn.
Recent computer analysis
has offered more insight on opening moves, but the midgame is
reached quickly. After the opening moves, backgammon players
frequently rely on some established general strategies, and will
combine and switch among them to adapt to changing conditions as a
game unfolds.
The most direct and sometimes the most successful strategy is simply
to avoid being hit, trapped, or getting into mutually blocked
stand-offs. The running game describes a strategy of moving as
quickly as possible around the board, and is most successful when a
player is already ahead in the race.
A holding game is a strategy wherein a player keeps a point high in
his opponent's board or on his opponent's bar point, as the game
progresses. The player may gain an advantage by hitting an
opponent's blot from the held point, or by rolling large doubles
that allow the player to advance both checkers and begin a running
game.
The priming game involves building a wall of checkers, called a
prime, ideally covering six consecutive points. This obstructs
opposing checkers that are behind the blockade. The prime is usually
built somewhere between the 11-point and the 2-point, and then
shuffled into the home board as the game progresses.
A blitz describes a strategy of closing the home board as quickly as
possible while keeping one's opponent on the bar. Because the
opponent has difficulty re-entering from the bar or escaping, a
player can quickly gain a running advantage and win the game.
A backgame is a strategy of placing two or more anchors (points with
two or more checkers) in one's opponent's home board, while building
a prime in one's own home board. The anchors obstruct the opponent's
checkers, and create opportunities to hit them as they move toward
the home board. The backgame is generally used only to salvage a
game wherein a player is already significantly behind; using a
backgame as an initial strategy is usually unsuccessful.
Duplication refers to the placement of checkers in such a way that
advantageous rolls for one's opponent are duplicated among several
possible moves, for example, a player positioning all of her blots
in such a way that her opponent must roll a 2 in order to hit one.
This reduces the probability that any blot will be hit.
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