Basic Backgammon Strategy for New Players: Four Key Ideas

The first thing every new player learns is that a single checker on a point, a blot, can be hit and sent back to the start, while two or more checkers on a point are safe and block your opponent. That leads many beginners to a simple approach: never leave a blot, and hit whenever possible. It sounds logical, but it is not the best way to play. The four ideas below will help you form a better plan. For a fuller treatment, see our basic strategy guide.

1. Distribution

Distribution is how your checkers are spread across the points you hold. Checkers piled onto one or two points are inflexible: they cannot easily make new points, and they force awkward moves later. As a rule of thumb, three checkers on each of two points are better than four on one and two on the other. Having five or six checkers on a single point is a warning sign. A player with good distribution seems to get "luckier" rolls, simply because more rolls fit his position well.

2. Exposure

Leaving a blot is not always a mistake. Early in the game, when your opponent's home board is still weak, being hit costs you little, and the chance to make an important point can be worth the risk. As his home board grows stronger, be more careful: against two closed points a checker on the bar enters 32 times in 36, but against four closed points only 20 times in 36. On the other hand, if you hold an anchor in his home board, you always have a safe place to land, and you can afford to play more boldly.

3. Blocking and priming

Points you make in front of your opponent's back checkers slow them down. The most valuable points to make early are your 5 point, then your 4 point and your bar point (7 point). Try to make points next to one another, without gaps, because a row of points is far harder to jump over than scattered ones. Six points in a row form a prime, and a checker behind a full prime cannot escape until it breaks.

4. Hitting

Hit with a purpose. The most useful checkers to hit are those that have advanced furthest, since sending them back costs your opponent the most, and those that he wants to cover to make an important point. Do not hit just because you can:

• If two enemy checkers are already on the bar, making another point in your home board is often more valuable than hitting a third checker.
• If hitting leaves you more exposed than your opponent, with several blots facing his return shots, a safer play is often better.
• If your opponent's home board is much stronger than yours, a hit that invites a return hit can backfire.

Putting it together

On each turn, ask yourself four short questions. Is my distribution healthy? How risky is this blot, and what do I gain for leaving it? Am I building a block in front of his back checkers? Does this hit really help? You will not always find the best move, but you will avoid most of the typical beginner errors. Our backgammon tips page has more quick advice, and the glossary explains any term you have not met yet.