WHEN TO HIT AND WHEN NOT TO HIT

The regular scenario in backgammon is that no player wants to leave any stone unturned for vying at the opponent’s checkers. In backgammon it is called a shot. The reason for that is if a checker is being hit then it is first placed on the bar and then the checker needs to follow the same rigmarole of placing it at the opponent’s home board and then slowly bringing it back to his own home. At least the entire process lends you some advantages in timing, as the time factor is the most crucial for deciding the winner in the game of backgammon. However, there are many situations where you need to refrain from the temptation of hitting. Therefore in this article, we will try to narrate some situations in particular, when you need to leave shots for a better prospect.

The obvious question that comes to mind is which one of the opponent’s checkers should be hit first? The answer being equally simple: The checker that seems most dangerous to you. First of all, try to target the most advanced checker of the opponent. Perhaps your immediate focus should be on the checkers which you presume are placed to establish an anchor. It may be a simple anchor or a prime.

At any stage in the game, if you find a couple of opponent’s checkers are already placed on the bar, then we advise you to restrain yourself from hitting. At this stage you should focus primarily in building up points at your home board. You may presume a situation when you seem to be more vulnerable than your opponent. Take the example of when the opponent is strategically inviting you to hit to achieve a better positional occupancy. While going for a shot, keep the impact of hit in mind. If hitting gives the opponents an edge then don’t go for hit.

Occasionally you may find that you are trying to hit an opponent by moving a checker from a blot, created by you. Remember, in this case you are risking your other checker for a hit. If your hit exposes your other checker to the opponent for a return hit then we advise you to refrain from going for a shot. If you are significantly behind in the game then the experts advise to leave shots and concentrate more on building your home board. At this stage of the game, you shouldn’t leave anchors to give your opponent a further advantage nor should you risk your checkers to exposure.

Remember that leaving shots lead to a defensive approach. We never want to advise you to become too defensive so that the game gets cold. We only want to remind you that as a beginner you must try to organize your defense first before attacking. So, apply your intuitive power and go in accordance to the progress of the game.

At the end we want to advise that in any case never go for hitting by inviting the risk of a return hit, rather try to lure the opponent to hit your checkers by exposing his own checkers to create a better inroads of success for you.