Backgammon is a race; it involves two players, who spread out their checkers on a board with one aim to bear them off the board before their opponent does. So, the underlying strategy of the game is to create free movement for one’s own checkers as well as restricting the movement of the opponent’s checkers. However, never forget that your opponent is also thinking along the same lines!

There are several possible strategies to accomplish the task of bearing off first. The appeal of modern backgammon lies in its aggressiveness. What happens when your opponent is at a much higher level than you? You can’t be only defensive, rather you need to apply a watch and go policy. For this you need advice to become so defensive that the game becomes ice cold.

Your first objective is to place two checkers together, which prohibits the opponent from hitting you. This move literally restricts the opponent from one point, which you have occupied, but as he has got so many other places to move around you need to plunge deeper to cripple him. If however you can create any blockades at six contiguous points, it creates a more effective hindrance for the opponent. This is called a prime and the rule is that the opponent cannot move his checker from behind a prime created by you. In backgammon terminology this is called anchoring.

The concept of prime and anchoring has been around a long time and even the famous Jacoby backgammon doyen certified this as the best way of anchoring with his renowned strategy still very much in vogue. Jacoby had shown analytically that the advantage goes to the player who can build up a more advanced prime and a significant advantage goes to the player who can maintain the prime for a longer period. Experts advise you to build the prime or anchor at your away board. However the positional advantage changes with the progress of the game. Like in the beginning it’s always advisable to build anchors at the 20-point or 21-point. Now if things go wrong, that is you are trailing, then the best positional advantage goes if you build the prime in point-22 or point-23 or point-24.

Again you must note that the opponent’s checkers on the bar may create problems for you, because the landing of the opponent’s checker may hit your single checker(s) placed in the vicinity of the bar points. This is most important at the stage of bearing off. If you build an anchor at the opponent’s home board, you are safe from this and any such harassment. If you build an anchor at your home board it gives you an edge by blocking the escape route of the opponent. This may also become a curse for you when you are trying to land your checkers from the bar.

There is a very common tactic that is applied in backgammon called re-circulating. This technique lures the opponent to hit your checker to give you the timing advantage. Lets assume that your checkers are so evenly placed and that you have got distinct advantage over your opponent who is becoming restless as his movement has been restricted by your primes and blockades, and then even if one of your checkers is hit, you don’t lose a role nor do you to break any of your defenses. At this point you need to be in a highly strategic advantageous position to apply this strategy. So pay special attention to the moves that you will make ahead then try to visualise what lies in store.