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Backgammon Tips

Strategies for winning at Backgammon

The aim of backgammon is to bring all of your pieces into your home board, and then to bear them off the board. The player who achieves this first is declared the winner.

Backgammon Rules

The board has 24 narrow triangles, known as 'points', and at the start of the game each player has 15 pieces, either light or dark, that are placed at intervals on these points. To start the game, both players throw one die, with the player that rolls the highest number starting first, moving a piece forwards towards the player's inner board, by the same number of places shown on that die. All moves following this are decided by the roll of two dice, with players alternating turns.

The numbers on the two dice signify different moves - rolling 3 and 2 means that you may move one piece three times, and one piece two, provided the pieces land on either a vacant point, a point occupied by your own pieces, or a point with one enemy piece. Alternatively, you may move one piece five places, but only if the intermediate point (either two or three spaces from the starting point) is also open.

Rolling doubles means that you can play the number shown on the dice twice, for example rolling 5 and 5 gives the player four moves of five, and they can be used in any combination, provided all the numbers can be played. When only one number can be played, the player must play that number. If either number can be played, but not both, a player must play the highest number.

Hitting a blot is when a player lands on a point that has only one of the opponent's pieces on. This piece is removed, placed on the bar, and must be entered back onto the board on the opponent's next turn, provided the dice roll allows for it to be returned on an unoccupied point.

Once a player has moved all his pieces into his home board, the pieces are free to 'bear off'. This is done according to the roll of the dice, and always from the highest-numbered point. If there is no piece on the point shown by the roll, then should make a normal roll using a piece on a higher-numbered point. The winner is the first person to bear off all their pieces.

The Doubling Cube

A player who has a large advantage during a game may propose doubling the stakes with the doubling cube. This can be done at the start of the player's turn, and before the dice have been rolled. Should the opponent reject the offer, they concede the game and pay the original wager, while acceptance of the offer means that the game is now played for the new higher stakes.

If a player accepts the offer of a double, they then become the owner of the doubling cube, and only they are allowed to redouble. Should a redouble be refused, the player must pay the wager that was at stake prior to the redouble. This process can go on until 64 times the original wager is at stake.

If the losing player has borne off at least one piece by the end of the game, they pay the original wager. If none of the pieces have been borne off by the end of the game, the player has been 'gammoned' and loses double the value of the doubling cube. A defeat without any pieces borne off, and a piece in the bar or the winners' home board is called 'backgammon', and the loser must pay three times the value of the doubling cube.

Backgammon Strategies

Most novice players ignore the pips counter that many online backgammon servers provide (pips being the sum of the dice rolls needed in order to remove all pieces from the board). However players should take notice of the pip counter, and should adjust their game strategy accordingly, rather than go through the entire game with a predetermined strategy which depends on the luck of the dice.

There are several different strategies at the disposal of the player. An 'open' or 'running' game involves moving the pieces in long jumps, which has the benefit of bringing pieces into your inner board quickly and bearing them off at an equally rapid pace, provided the strategy is successful. There are drawbacks - this can leave pieces in open positions for your opponent to attack - but if you have a lower pip count than your opponent then this is a good strategy to use. 'Blitzing' is a bit more extreme - an outright attack on your opponents' pieces, while blocking as many points in your home board as possible. The aim is to keep your opponent on the inner bar while you move towards your inner board.

Alternatively, players may choose to protect their pips, and stack them tall in order to ensure the opponent has little or no blots to hit. It is then possible to hit the opponent as he/she moves the pieces closer to home. Generally it is best to attempt this when the opponent is in command and has a lower pip count. The 'holding' strategy involves taking control of a point high in your opponent's board - this gives you a greater chance of hitting their pieces on the way past.

The 'Priming' strategy is a specific type of holding, in which you build a long wall of pieces on consecutive points, with the aim of blocking the opponents pieces that have yet to pass the wall. Should the wall be six points long, the opponent will be blocked until the prime is broken, and a player can advance the prime around the board until the bearing-off phase.

It is generally best to play the strategy you feel most comfortable with, based upon the game circumstances, and it is good practice to think ahead of each move. This helps you play your chosen strategy more successfully, as you are constantly thinking in line with this strategy. For example, if one of your pieces is left open and you are trying to hold, then it would be wise to think of ways to close the position in the next turn. While it is not possible to control the roll of the dice, thinking ahead helps to accommodate for luck, whether it happens to be good or bad.

Using the Doubling Cube

Not only should you be aware of your game strategy, but you should also put much thought towards when to use the doubling cube. There are many factors influencing the players decision on when to offer the double, and when to accept or reject it when it has been offered.

The pip count needs to be considered when a player is thinking of offering a double, and as a general rule, if a player is leading consistently during the game, it is a good strategy to offer to double. However it is not just this that needs to be taken into account - the arrangement of pieces across the board should be looked at. If your opponent has managed to block four or five points in a row then they have a more commanding position than someone who has lots of points with only one piece.

Offering a double earlier rather than later is more likely to result in the double being accepted, as an opponent is unlikely to accept the offer with defeat looming. However the prospect of winning gammons or backgammons changes the landscape further - sometimes doubling is not recommended if there is a high chance of this occurence, as the opponent would simply accept the loss of the original stake.

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