Although you will be guaranteed to win a game of Backgammon only by means of a combination of analytical thinking, skills, and luck, there are a few tips and strategies that will prove tremendously in handy to you here and there. The first tip I would like to offer on how to win at Backgammon is to concentrate every second on what is happening on the board and try to make the convenient analytical notes that will allow you to determine the most probable move towards winning. Try to understand your opponent’s strategy and style. Frequently check your pip count and your opponent’s to determine who is most likely to bear off his/her checkers first and to have an educated back drop upon which to found your game strategy. Develop at least three possible moves for each throw of the dice and chose the one that seems most advantageous to your game.
The second tip is: build a defensive/offensive strategy since the very beginning. Make sure not only to move your men from point to point as quickly as possible, but also to do so in such a way that you will position them in strategic locations. What I mean by this is, do not simply stack your checkers up on a point, but build a block with them having in mind the future consolidation of a prime. Place your checkers between the 4th and 11th points in consecutive blocks to slow down your opponent’s advancement and guarantee yourself a fast bare off. Anchor your runners in your opponent’s home-board in such a way that you will complicate his building of an effective prime, without making it impossible for yourself to get them out when the time comes. Remember, without a strategy you have no direction, and without direction you are just wasting your time moving your checkers on the board at random.
Third tip: do not be afraid of being aggressive; if you know what you are doing there is no reason for you to be “kind” to your opponent, or to linger your victory. Build some emotional tension that will make your opponent commit mistakes: hit his/her checkers if it does not represent a worse out come for you, double or redouble the stakes of the game if you possess an advantageous pip count, apply the priming strategy, be accurate in your moves. Thanks to players like Bill Robertie and Nack Ballard, the aggressive Backgammon approach is gaining more and more adepts, so learn to think quickly and be agressive lest you will be intimidated by other players.
The last tip is very self explanatory: PLAY TOURNAMENTS! Tournaments are an excellent way of developing all the skills previously mentioned due to the fact that the context in which they are held gives the games a special focused aura. Backgammon tournaments will bring out the best and worst of your Backgammon playing style and skills without any masking elements because Backgammon players come to play and win, not to pass their time.
