Backgammon strategy: the main game plans

Most backgammon games follow one of a few broad plans. Good players recognize which plan suits the position, and they switch when the dice change the picture. Knowing these plans helps you choose between moves for a reason instead of by feel. This page gives an overview. For move-by-move advice, see backgammon tips, and for the first move of the game, opening moves.

The running game

The simplest plan is to race. If you are ahead in the pip count, you want to get your back checkers past the opponent's checkers and break contact. After that, no more hitting is possible and the game becomes a pure race, where the better dice and a clean bear-off decide it. A running game suits the player who is ahead; the player who is behind wants to keep contact and hope for a shot.

To know whether you are ahead, count pips. The method is on the backgammon math page.

The priming game

A prime is a row of closed points in a line. An opponent's checker trapped behind a six-point prime cannot move past it at all. Even four or five points in a row make escape hard, because the checker needs a specific large number to jump over.

The priming plan is to trap one or more of the opponent's back checkers behind such a wall, then walk the wall forward into your home board. The key points for a prime are your 4-, 5-, 7- and 8-points, which is why opening plays that make the 5-point or the bar point are so highly valued. Builders, spare checkers in your outer board, are what let you make new points.

The holding game

If you are behind in the race, you can hold an anchor: a point of two or more of your checkers in the opponent's home board. The most useful anchors are on the opponent's 5-point and 4-point, or on their bar point outside the home board. An anchor keeps you safe from being shut out, and it waits for a shot as the opponent brings checkers home past it. The holding game is patient. You keep the anchor, play your other checkers sensibly, and look for a chance to hit late in the game.

The blitz

A blitz is an all-out attack on blots in your home board. You hit, make points on top of the opponent's checkers, and try to close your board while they are on the bar. A successful blitz often wins a gammon, because the opponent's checkers are stuck while yours come home. The blitz works best when you have several builders aimed at your home board and the opponent has more than one checker back without an anchor. It fails when you run out of attackers and leave your own blots in front of an entering checker.

The back game

A back game is a holding game taken further: you hold two anchors deep in the opponent's home board, often after being hit several times. You are far behind in the race, and you wait for a late shot. Back games need good timing. If you have to break your own home board while waiting, the plan collapses, and back games lose many gammons when they fail. Most players treat the back game as a rescue plan, not something to aim for.

Choosing a plan

A few questions point to the right plan in most positions:

Plans also change during the game. A running game turns into a holding game after one bad roll, and a priming game can become a blitz when the opponent leaves blots in your board. Ask the questions again every few moves, and keep playing your best to the end. The dice can turn a game around very quickly.