Good backgammon strategy for beginners comes down to a few habits: make points instead of leaving single checkers, know which points matter, hit when it hurts your opponent, and know when to run. These ten tips will win you more games from the first evening.
How to read the moves
Each player numbers the points from their own side: your 24-point is where your two back checkers start, your 1-point is the deepest point of your home board. “13/7” means one checker moves from your 13-point to your 7-point.
1. Make points, avoid blots
Two or more of your checkers on a point make it yours: the opponent can’t land there. A single checker is a blot, and a blot can be hit and sent back to the start. Most good moves either make a new point or move blots to safety.
2. The 5-point is gold
The most valuable points are in and next to your home board: the 5-point first, then the 4-point and the 7-point (the bar point). They block your opponent’s back checkers and give you a strong home board when you hit. That is why 3-1 (8/5 6/5) is the best opening roll.
3. Hit when it costs your opponent
A hit sends the checker to the bar, and it has to start its journey again. The further it had travelled, the more it costs. Hitting is usually right, especially when it also makes a point or when your home board is strong. Be careful only when the hit leaves you open to many return shots.
4. Count the shots before you leave a blot
If you must leave a blot, leave it where it is hardest to hit. A blot close to an enemy checker is hit far more often than one 7 or more points away, because then only combinations of both dice reach it. The numbers below assume no points block the way.
| Distance | Rolls that hit (of 36) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 11 |
| 2 | 12 |
| 3 | 14 |
| 4 | 15 |
| 5 | 15 |
| 6 | 17 |
| 7 | 6 |
| 8 | 6 |
| 9 | 5 |
| 10 | 3 |
| 11 | 2 |
| 12 | 3 |
5. Don’t stack checkers
Five or six checkers on one point do the work of two. Spread the spare ones to build new points; a stack on the 6-point or on low points is wasted strength.
6. Get the back checkers moving early
Your two checkers on the 24-point have the longest way home. Move them up before your opponent builds a wall in front of them; later they may be trapped for many turns.
7. Build a wall (a prime)
Six points in a row can’t be jumped. Even four or five in a row make your opponent’s back checkers struggle. Each point you make next to an existing one is worth more than a point far away.
8. Race when ahead, fight when behind
Count the pips (how far each side still has to go). If you are clearly ahead, avoid contact and race home. If you are behind, keep checkers back to hold points and wait for a shot.
9. Hold an anchor
Two of your checkers on a point in your opponent’s home board (an anchor) can’t be hit and give you a place to land. The 20- and 21-points are the best anchors.
10. Learn from every game
After each game on ZAR, the review marks your mistakes and shows the better play. Against the computer, press H (or the Hint button) to see what the Pro level would do. Ten minutes of review teaches more than an hour of playing fast.