War and Backgammon: Strategy Lessons from the Battlefield

A board game is not a war, and no one should pretend otherwise. Still, the vocabulary of military strategy fits backgammon surprisingly well. Players talk about attacks, blockades, holding positions and retreats. Board games have long been used to think about strategy in general terms, and backgammon adds something many of them lack: uncertainty. The dice make every plan fragile, which is exactly why the comparison is useful. Here are a few strategic ideas and how they look on the board.

Blockade: closing the road

The strongest structure in backgammon is a wall of consecutive points in front of the opponent's back checkers. Six points in a row form a prime, which no checker can jump. A partial blockade of four or five points already makes escape very difficult. Like a blockade in a campaign, it does not win by itself; it buys time and restricts the opponent's options while you prepare the next step. You can read about the most important points to hold on the points page.

Holding ground: the anchor

When you are under pressure, a secure position deep in enemy territory is valuable. In backgammon this is an anchor: two of your checkers on a point in your opponent's home board. It cannot be attacked, it gives your back checkers a place to land after being hit, and it keeps watch for a chance to strike as the opponent brings checkers home. Giving up an anchor too early is a common mistake.

Timing: having moves to spare

Every strategist knows that a strong position is worthless if you are forced to abandon it. In backgammon this is called timing. If you build a fine blockade but have no other checkers left to move, the dice will soon force you to break it. Good players keep spare checkers in reserve so they can hold their key points while the opponent is the one forced to give ground.

Attack: the blitz

Sometimes the right plan is a fast, all-out attack. A blitz means hitting the opponent's checkers repeatedly while closing points in your home board, so that the hit checkers struggle to come back. It works best when you have many builders nearby and your opponent has no anchor. If the attack stalls, though, you can be left with scattered blots and a weak position, so commit only when the numbers are on your side.

Retreat: knowing when to run

Not every position should be defended. If you are ahead in the race, the best plan is often to disengage: bring your back checkers home, avoid contact and let your lead decide the game. Counting pips tells you when that moment has come. Running at the right time is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Fortune: the dice

This is where backgammon differs most from a pure strategy game. You can plan perfectly and still roll the one number that ruins your position. The skill lies in choosing plans that work with as many rolls as possible and in leaving shots that are hard to hit. A good backgammon player, like a good planner anywhere, prepares for bad luck instead of hoping it will not come. For more on balancing risk, see our backgammon strategy guide.

A better kind of battle

In backgammon there are no draws: every game ends with a winner. The battles are fierce, but they end with a handshake and a new game. That is perhaps the best thing about strategy on a board: you can learn its lessons at no cost to anyone.