Play65 And Backgammon Articles

Play65 is going beyond being just a backgammon room but is also providing articles on strategies and tips. This is definitely useful for the backgammon enthusiast who wants to improve and widen his knowledge on the game. PokerNews is now bringing you articles on strategy by discussing and critiquing famous backgammon works. Today's chosen article is "Backgammon – Common Mistakes", by B. NeedHam and is a product of the author's many experiences.

Common Mistakes

I've been playing backgammon for 20 years and I notice that there are a few common mistakes that players continue to make. I want to share some of my thoughts on these. In my opinion, the most common mistake is moving your checkers too far forward too early on in the game. For example, in the opening when your dice is 6-4 it is a mistake to get the 2 block, because you have a valuble home block, but at the expense of what? All you do is accumulate grief for the future, when you have a bad dice your options are limited and you make it easier for your opponent to join in from the bar.

Another mistake is to play it "safe". You need to fight for the strategic blocks and take calculated risks. Everybody knows this, it is impossible to play a game without leaving one checker alone somewhere and it is good to take small risks in the beginning which might reward you handsomely. This way you are not leaving things till it is too late and not relying too much on your luck! One of the imporant blocks to make is the 6 block (prevents the opponent from running away with the 6 dice), however without a doubt, the most important block of all is the 5 block in both your own and your opponent's home board. If you make these blocks you can control the game in general and make it difficult for your opponent to move. If you are hit, there is safe harbour for you to come back. Therefore you should always try to make these blocks and prevent your opponent from getting these blocks. This way you can eliminate the fear of being "imprisoned" and being hit over and over.

Another very common mistake that I often see players making is running away too early from a safe block, while the opponent is having 3 or more blocks in the home board. This usually results with losing both of the checkers. You watch how your opponents gets out of a bad situation while you are not able to re-enter the game. In this case it is important to keep the block as long as possible and it is best to use the chance later at the expense of leaving a single man. If you are too much behind in the game, do not worry about losing another checker, because a well timed hit can turn everything around.

The last thing i'd like to talk about is to always hit two checkers of your opponent at the same time. This way he has no chance to hit you back and in the case of a blank throw, you will have the advantage of a powerful status and you would be able to hold those checkers back for most the future dices, if not throughout the whole game.

To summarize, try to think about how the game will unfold from the beginning, be agressive, plan ahead, don't worry about the challanges in the end before they emerge, and most importantly hope that luck is on your side! We all need luck, so if you get your share and play a sound game, you will definitely win more games than lose.


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