Backgammon Strategy

The dice decide what you can do; you decide what to do with it. Two players with the same luck finish far apart when one of them keeps checkers safe, builds strong points and knows when the game has turned into a race. These ideas will lift your game against friends and against our online backgammon computer, whose Hint button uses the same thinking.

Think in Points, Not Single Checkers

A point you hold with two or more checkers is safe from being hit and blocks your opponent. A single checker is a target. Most good moves either make a new point or move checkers to where they can make one next turn.

Not all points are equal. The most valuable ones are in and next to your home board: your 5-point (right in the middle of the route your opponent's back checkers must take), your 4-point, and your bar point (the 7-point). Your 1- and 2-points are made too deep to block much early in the game.

Good Opening Moves

Some first rolls almost play themselves. A handful worth remembering:

With other rolls, a common plan is to bring a builder down from your 13-point (so you have spare checkers ready to make points) and move one back checker up a little.

When a Blot Is Worth the Risk

You cannot avoid blots forever, so learn which ones are cheap. A blot is safe from a single die when no opposing checker sits within six points behind it, and much safer still at seven to twelve points away, where only combinations of both dice reach it. Count the shots: a blot six points away is hit by 17 of the 36 possible rolls, while one eleven points away is hit by only two.

A hit costs you the pips that checker had already travelled. A blot near your opponent's home board costs little; one in your home board costs a lot. Early in the game, a blot that could become a valuable point next turn is often worth leaving. Late in the game, when your opponent has a strong home board, play safe.

Hit When It Hurts

Hitting sends a checker back and costs your opponent half a turn or more while they re-enter. It is strongest when the hit checker had travelled far, when your home board already has several points made (so it is hard to come back in), and when hitting also makes a point. "Pointing on" a blot, which means hitting with two checkers at once, is the best of both.

Build a Prime

Six points in a row form a prime, a wall no checker can jump. Even four or five in a row are hard to pass. If your opponent has checkers stuck behind your wall, take your time: keep the wall, bring builders up, and roll the wall forward into your home board. This is how many games are won by a gammon.

Anchors Keep You in the Game

When you are behind, an anchor (a point you hold in your opponent's home board) gives your checkers a safe landing place and a base from which to hit later. The best anchors are on your opponent's 5- and 4-points: your 20- and 21-points. An anchor also makes it impossible for your opponent to shut you out completely.

Escape the Back Checkers

Your two checkers on the 24-point have the furthest to go and can be trapped. Move them out early, while your opponent's wall is not built yet. Big rolls such as 6-5 and 6-4 are ideal for running.

Count the Race

Once all the checkers have passed each other, there is no more hitting: the game is a pure race. Look at the pip counts above the board. As a rule of thumb, being ahead by about one pip in every ten of your count is a healthy lead. In a race, move checkers into your home board quickly, avoid piling them deep on low points, and spread them so every number can bear off.

Bearing Off Safely

If your opponent still holds a point in your home board, bear off carefully. Clear your highest points first, avoid leaving gaps behind, and try not to leave a single checker within reach. Taking one fewer checker off is better than leaving a blot that turns a sure win into a loss.

Using the Doubling Cube

If you turn the cube on, a sound rule for friendly games is: double when you think you win about seven games out of ten from the position, and take when you think you win at least one game in four. Passing means losing one point for sure; taking and losing costs two, but taking and winning gains two. The computer explains its own cube decisions with a rough chance of winning, which is a good way to train your judgment.

Learn from the Computer

Press Hint on a roll you are unsure about. It shows the move with arrows and says why: making a point, hitting, staying safe, or racing. After each computer move, Why? gives its reason. Try the Hard level when you want a real test: it also considers every roll you might throw next.

New to the game? Start with the backgammon rules, or see the variations families play. For another classic with plenty of strategy, try Cribbage.