Fundamental principles and strategic goals
Backgammon is a game that combines luck and
skill. Against bad luck - which is determininate
by the dice - you can do nothing. But in the long run, the dice
will break even and the players, who will make the superior checker
play and cube decisions will win.
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Because of the luck factor, the best players can loose to the
worst players in the short-run, there is nothing they can do about
it, because luck is an important and decisive factor in backgammon.
But if they play hundreds or thousands of games, the player who
plays poorly and makes consistently the inferior moves, will have
no chance.
In this section we will examine some fundamental principles and
important strategic guidelines, that will help you to understand
the game better and learn to make the right decisions.
A former world champion of chess and one of the best players of
all the time - Michail Tal - once said, that he usually watches the
beginner lessons in the Russian TV, simple because it helps him not
to forget the universal strategic principles, that are essential to
be successful in chess. Even the best players will lose, when they
violate these standards, simply because these strategic principles
are the logical and universal basics for chess.
In a sense this is also true for backgammon. There are a lot of
strategic guidelines / rules, that are essential to be successful
in this game. You should always bear these general rules in mind,
because during a backgammon game it will often help to make the
best moves.
It is important to mention that these rules sometimes conflict
with each other in certain positions. You must weight the different
factors against each other and decide which are more important.
This is often very difficult to achieve and even the best players
sometimes have great difficulties in this area. Please note, that
each point is just as important as the other and the order has
nothing to do with their importance.
Advanced Anchor
It is strategically very advantageous to have an advanced
anchor. This is very important goal, when there is still contact.
You should try to accomplish this goal as soon as possible. This is
consistent with the concept to mobilize your checkers on
the 24-point in the early stage of the game. To own an advanced
anchor has several considerable advantages:
- Your checkers are closer to home.
- It is much harder for you opponent to build a potent prime to
restrain these checkers.
- As long as you keep your anchor in your opponents home board
you always have a fine landing place for your men, in case you get
hit and must enter from the bar.
- You control the outfield, where the enemy checkers move to the
home board, often you will get shots from your anchor.
[read more]Break or keep contact
This is a very simple and obvious principle, that it is
unbelievable how many players violate this easy to understand
concept. To make things crystal clear: Whenever,
after your move, you have a clear advantage in the
race, at least 5 pips or more and the game is a simple holding game
with each side having a normal checker distribution, it is right to
break contact completely and transform the
game into a simply race.
[read more]Golden anchor and golden point
In every Backgammon book you can read the term "golden
point" or "golden anchor" or "most
important point on the board". These terms describe the 5 or
20-point. The golden point is your own
5-point, the golden anchor is the
20-point (the opponents 5-point). These are the
most important strategic points on the Backgammon board for several
reasons:
- Together with your 6-point, they form the beginning of an
effective prime to block the enemy back checkers in your own home
board.
- In every blot-hitting-contest you have the best possible prime
with two points made (6 and 5-point) against the checkers your
opponent must enter from the bar.
- The best possible case, is a 6-prime or a closed board against
the enemy checkers. The 5-point is the next best point (together
with the 6 point which you already own) to achieve this goal.
- If you have the golden anchor it is much harder for your
opponent to build an effective prime against these checkers,
compared to the checkers on the 24-point.
- If your opponent makes an advanced anchor in your home board it
is always in front of your inner board points, that is
strategically advantageous for you.
- Suppose your opponent must enter from the bar and you own the 5
and 6 point, the highest numbers on the dices. If your opponent is
not able to come in from the bar (with the numbers 6-6, 5-5 and
6-5), he will waste much more pips (what is bad for the race) on
average compared when you have the lower points and he cannot enter
from the bar.
[read more]Mobilize back checkers
The two most vulnerable checkers in the game are those placed on
the 24-point. The reason is simple: because these
checkers have by far the longest way home and these have to go
through the opponents home and outer board, where they can easily
be attacked or pointed on. Therefore in the opening it is a
fundamental important strategy to mobilize these checkers and bring
them to safety as soon as possible.
[read more]Having a bad position
When you have a bad or a hopeless position you usually should
take greater risks (to improve the position) compared to a position
where you already have the superior game.
[read more]Play safe or hit loose
Often you are faced with the alternatives to either hit loose or
play safe. Some general guidelines should help you to find the
right decision.
[read more]Checkerplay against the ace point anchor
A fair share of backgammon positions result in an ace point
game, so its worth to take a closer look at these positions. We
will analyze three reference positions, in two positions you still
have all points made and a very smooth position. In the other
position, you already have the six point cleared and smooth
position with your remaining checkers.
When you play against an anchor your main goals are:
- minimize shots (including sequences in the future)
- prepare to clear your points
- bear checkers off
Most of the times these goals conflict with each other, so it is
always a difficult decision over the board and most of the players
have great problems in this area. Many factors decide the right
decision and, for example, if your opponent is on the verge of
crushing his homeboard in the next one or two rolls it may be right
to take greater risks in keeping your prime, because crippling
his homeboard will reduce his winning chances
considerably.
[read more]Rake adjusted cube handling
When playing
online, the house takes a fee (rake) from the winner of the
game. So I was wondering if that can change the proper cube
decision of some positions. We will look at two simple bear offs,
in one position we can offer a double in the other we are offered a
double and have to decide if we take.
[read more]