Early Game Strategy in Backgammon

The early stages of the game in backgammon can't exactly be defined as being care free. Even in the early stages of this fast-paced board game you can be sure that the action will be just as intense as the later stages. That is why players should be able to identify key goals in the early game. A player should be able to formulate a strategy in the early game and realize certain goals.

Backgammon is a really tactical game which has the characteristic of being fast-paced even in the initial stages. You may utilize the standard recommended opening plays and the replies to them. You may opt to play conservatively and constructively or immediately gear up and play aggressively. Either way you have it, the goals for the early game are still the same.

Basically, you have two goals for the early game in backgammon. Your overall strategy including your opening plays will be encapsulated within these two basic early game goals. The first goal for the early game in backgammon is to building points on your home board. The second one is to escape your back checkers.

You will notice that you can categorize the standard recommended opening plays into efforts achieving either of these two goals. Split and build opening plays are designed to achieve either of these two goals depending on the situation you've got on the board. On the other hand, point making opening rolls are designed to achieve the first early game goal while the running plays are designed to achieve the second early game goal in backgammon.

Let's proceed to a brief description of each of the two early game goals and strategy involved in them. Making points on your home board in the early game is nothing more than playing smart. First of all, it makes it harder for your opponent's back checkers to escape, and second, it acts as inhibitors for opposing checkers entering from the bar. Yet a third reason why this is playing smart is that you already have checkers ready for bearing off.

The second early game goal is also just as important as the first one. Escaping your back checkers can't be emphasized more when we deal with backgammon strategy. If your back checkers get blocked or hedged in by opposing checkers (or even worse a six-point prime) whatever strategy you might have employed will be heavily counter-balanced by the containment of these two important pieces.

Building home board points and escaping your back men are two important early game goals in backgammon. Your opening moves and your overall strategy should include these two goals else you jeopardize all your work in the end.

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