Backgammon Tips for Beginners
by Gene Marshall
People who are interested in learning how to play Backgammon have a lot of work in store for them. While Backgammon is one of the oldest games in world history, and is widely accepted as the world's oldest board game, that does not mean that the Backgammon rules and Backgammon strategy are simple concepts. In fact, beginners should be prepared for a long introduction to the process of playing Backgammon, as learning all of the intricacies of the game is a procedure that requires much dedication and practice.
Whether playing the live Backgammon board game or playing online Backgammon through Backgammon software, all beginners can learn how to improve their Backgammon game through these simple Backgammon tips. Knowing and understanding how to apply these basic skills and strategies will not only improve your every day game, but will also help you build the ability to incorporate more advanced tips in the future.
Priming
Priming is one of the most effective Backgammon strategies. A prime is basically a consecutive group of occupied points. The idea behind priming is to build up a wall of points that prevents your opponent from progressing around the Backgammon board. If you build up a prime in front of your opponent's checkers, they will have to roll high dice numbers in order to leap over the prime. A full prime of six occupied points in a row will completely block your opponent from moving forward.
Anchoring
Anchoring is an important defensive tactic. It involves establishing at least one point in your opponent's home board. Maintaining a stronghold here offers a player many unique advantages. Should a player ever have a checker on the bar, having an anchor provides a safe haven for a hit checker to re-enter the board. Owning one of these points is also an excellent way to block your opponent from making all of the points in his home board. The strategy is strengthened and reinforced by holding two adjacent points as anchors.
Hitting
One of the most beloved strategies of new Backgammon players is hitting. Hitting occurs when your checker lands on an opponent's blot (one single checker located on a point). A blot is vulnerable to attack because it is a single checker; a point with two checkers is considered to be occupied. When hitting occurs, the opponent's checker is then sent to the bar, or banished outside of the game, and the opponent must then pause his checkers' progression in order to re-enter the hit checker back into the game onto an open point. Until the checker has been successfully re-entered, the opponent cannot move his other checkers.
One of the most common amateur Backgammon mistakes is to focus on hitting instead of playing. Hitting should be used wisely; if an opponent already has multiple checkers on the bar, hitting another blot is a less valuable move than making steady progress with your own checkers. Practice these beginner tips to gain great playing experience when you play free Backgammon online.
About the Author
Other readings and writings that were written by Gene Marshall on the subject of internet backgammon are available on line. Backgammon authority Gene Marshall works for a number of distinguished backgammon magazines. He concentrates on articles about online backgammon and backgammon strategy.
People who are interested in learning how to play Backgammon have a lot of work in store for them. While Backgammon is one of the oldest games in world history, and is widely accepted as the world's oldest board game, that does not mean that the Backgammon rules and Backgammon strategy are simple concepts. In fact, beginners should be prepared for a long introduction to the process of playing Backgammon, as learning all of the intricacies of the game is a procedure that requires much dedication and practice.
Whether playing the live Backgammon board game or playing online Backgammon through Backgammon software, all beginners can learn how to improve their Backgammon game through these simple Backgammon tips. Knowing and understanding how to apply these basic skills and strategies will not only improve your every day game, but will also help you build the ability to incorporate more advanced tips in the future.
Priming
Priming is one of the most effective Backgammon strategies. A prime is basically a consecutive group of occupied points. The idea behind priming is to build up a wall of points that prevents your opponent from progressing around the Backgammon board. If you build up a prime in front of your opponent's checkers, they will have to roll high dice numbers in order to leap over the prime. A full prime of six occupied points in a row will completely block your opponent from moving forward.
Anchoring
Anchoring is an important defensive tactic. It involves establishing at least one point in your opponent's home board. Maintaining a stronghold here offers a player many unique advantages. Should a player ever have a checker on the bar, having an anchor provides a safe haven for a hit checker to re-enter the board. Owning one of these points is also an excellent way to block your opponent from making all of the points in his home board. The strategy is strengthened and reinforced by holding two adjacent points as anchors.
Hitting
One of the most beloved strategies of new Backgammon players is hitting. Hitting occurs when your checker lands on an opponent's blot (one single checker located on a point). A blot is vulnerable to attack because it is a single checker; a point with two checkers is considered to be occupied. When hitting occurs, the opponent's checker is then sent to the bar, or banished outside of the game, and the opponent must then pause his checkers' progression in order to re-enter the hit checker back into the game onto an open point. Until the checker has been successfully re-entered, the opponent cannot move his other checkers.
One of the most common amateur Backgammon mistakes is to focus on hitting instead of playing. Hitting should be used wisely; if an opponent already has multiple checkers on the bar, hitting another blot is a less valuable move than making steady progress with your own checkers. Practice these beginner tips to gain great playing experience when you play free Backgammon online.
About the Author
Other readings and writings that were written by Gene Marshall on the subject of internet backgammon are available on line. Backgammon authority Gene Marshall works for a number of distinguished backgammon magazines. He concentrates on articles about online backgammon and backgammon strategy.