Backgammon Opening Strategy

Opening Strategy
First Moves

In backgammon the basic offensive objective is to impede the opponent's checkers from getting home and hitting them when you can. Conversely you will be trying to return your checkers without suffering the same fate.

As you recall two counters on a point prevent the opponent landing on it. Four or more adjacent blocked points are called a prime. The bigger the prime the better, i.e. a five prime is more difficult to jump than a four prime. A prime with a gap is a broken prime.

Important Moves

1) Move checkers from the thirteenth point unless they end up six or less points from an enemy checker and can be hit. These are called builders because they are used to make a prime in and around the home board.

2) Splitting the back pair on point twenty four is good because it gives you more chances of escaping. Initially the counters are safe in positions twenty four to twenty two but they can't remain there forever so run them out when the opportunity presents itself.

3) Points four and five are important to occupy so you can hit checkers there and hope to make a point (place two counters) in the near future. Hitting on the ace (first) and second point surrenders blocking opportunities in the early game, so don't do it!

4) Generally in the early game hitting is stronger than making a point. On the other hand if an opportunity to establish a fourth or fifth positioned point in enemy territory presents itself, you should definitely take it.