I may find myself playing a game (or two ro three) of backgammon against a self-described college champion of the game (at least at their own college). While I have played backgammon before it has been awhile and I have no real strategy of my own to speak of.
So, any Dopers out there good at backgammon and willing to share their insights? I realize I won’t become a backgammon master from reading a thread but anything I can do to minimize the appearance of stupidity (watch the wisecracks) would be great.
Assume we are playing standard backgammon and not a variant (although if you have a fun variant to suggest feel free…maybe they won’t be so good at that). Advice in using the doubling-cube would be nice as well although not strictly necessary as chances are we won’t be using it (but just in case…).
While my first game will be this weekend (hence the request for ‘quick’ responses) feel free to continue as long as this thread can live since it’s always nice to pick up more pointers anytime.
Thanks in advance…
Well, depending on how you roll, either start building a wall around the bar on your side of the board (like the 4-8 spots) or get your runners (the two languishing in your opponent’s home) around. I usually run in steps- first get them out of opponents home, but not necessarily onto my side of the board. This allows for opportunities to hit once I’ve got a fairly decent wall established. Leave your wall up as long as you have the chance to hit, and start moving your runners around. If you must leave a piece open (ie, just one on a spot) do it on the far side of the board if possible, or as close to the opponent’s pieces (there are more combos of 7 than of 2). The key is to know if you are on offense or defense. If on offense, use caution. If on defense, you must take chances to get back on offense. If you get behind, leave your pieces in opponent’s home in order to hit, while trying to cover every spot in your home and immediately outside it. Play smart, and the game can quickly change in your favor. Remember the natural combos at the beginning- 6-4, 5-3, 4-2, 3-1, 6-1. A 6-5 early is the chance to run. Double 6s early- take both primes (the spot immediately out of home) with your runners and the stack of 5 halfway. The best strategy, of course, is to roll what you need when you need it.