While it may seem stupid to let yourself lose a piece to your opponent early on, it actually might be smart. In the beginning, you both have less pieces in your home board, and thus it's easier to get those checkers back into the game and around the board to your own home. The more pieces your opponent has in their home board later in the game, the harder it can be to get those back on the board to do anything. So leaving one or two checkers open can make it easier for you later when you have your checkers almost all home and on the way off the board to win.



Your distribution of checkers is a big part of how to win. You should try not to have six on any one point. Definitely don't have more than six; it makes you an easy target to get crunched in by your opponent. And while it would seem sound advice to have two checkers on four spots, it's actually not a good move. Better to have three checkers on two spots at once. This is because the dice seem to fall better for more even distribution and improves your chances of winning the game.

Blocking can be a crucial part of winning. It is best to block your opponent in your home board. Here they will have a harder time getting out as you bring more checkers in to go off the board. This strategy works if you start early and get six checkers inside your home board early. This way you can block your opponent in and still get your own pieces into your home board. Six in a row is called a prime in backgammon. The best places to try and block from are points 4, 5, and 7.

To make an impact against your opponent, hit as many pieces as you can. However don't just hit pieces to hit. Sometimes this can work against you. If your opponent has at least two bars in their home board, it is better for you to get your checkers home instead of taking out another checker of theirs. Don't hit if it will leave you open to hits or blocks yourself. This is counterproductive to actually winning.

The final strategy move to help you win is called anchoring. This is where you have a strong spot on their home board. It helps if you get hit, you have a strong spot, an anchor, to move your piece back on the board safely. It also keeps your opponent from being able to go out themselves. And if you have more than one anchor it can help if you are behind in points early on. As well as making you stronger against your opponent. If you do have two points make them adjacent to make it harder for your opponent to move on their home board.

All of this isn't guaranteed to make you win, but it can help you along the way. Used properly you can get 'lucky' rolls and make your opponent wonder just how long you have been playing.