Playing tips for Backgammon
Building a list of tips for playing Backgammon would prove useless if the player reading it does not understand that the tips, although very helpful, will not do the work by themselves. The Backgammon tips offered on this page, or in any other source for that matter, are only indications, ideas of general situations and generally proven strategies to bear in mind when playing a game of Backgammon. So, the main and most important piece of advice I can give you here is to keep your eyes wide open throughout the game and focus on your moves one by one considering every single time what the next best move would be according to what is on the board.
That being said let us move to some basic, yet useful tips for playing Backgammon. In the beginning of each game you should consider your position in the match. No matter if the game is the first one of the match, the only one, the last one, or anyone in between, try to always place your checkers in advantageous positions foreseeing the consolidation of blocks and primes. If you have to leave checkers standing alone in a blot, then do so in the most advantageous, less risky position; in your next turn reverse the situation. Do not waste your time at any point in the game trying to equally distribute your checkers around the board, simply bring them home as fast as you can and in the best, most intelligent way. At the same time, choose a strategy style and stick with it without fear of changing it as often as needed. Do not just make the first move that comes to your head, instead establish more than one practical move for each roll and use the best one of them.
In case you are loosing the match, it would be convenient to play a more aggressive, risky game. If you do not succeed in your attempts, you were any ways about to loose the game and the match; but if you do manage to steal the game from your opponent’s hands, then you have a bigger chance of even winning the match. In other words, if you are already in big disadvantage, it is actually a good strategy to play the game in a win it all or loose it all fashion. This can be done either by using the doubling cube in the case you have advantage over your opponent’s pip count, or anchoring some of your checkers on your opponent’s home-board or external board and building primes on yours. As an addition, consider as well hitting as many of your opponent’s checkers if it seems helpful in slowing down his advancement and speeding up yours.
Another excellent tip is to always think about the doubling possibilities present. This will help you assess the accuracy of your moves and strategy. If your game is good enough to double, then you should keep it up, double when your opponent is less likely to take your doubling and win. On the contrary, if you are in disadvantage, think of which positions are the most convenient for the next move in order to double properly or at least not pass a double made by your opponent. If you are playing a match were you and your opponent need both two more points to win, consider doubling or redoubling as soon as you can.
Do not be afraid of taking risks. Backgammon is a game of chance as much as of strategy, and one without the other will result in no fun whatsoever. So gear up, practice and learn as much as you can and take advantage of chance and opportunity by applying your wits.
