Winning the Backgammon Straight Race

admin · Site Admin Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 860

Have you ever wondered why the game of backgammon is sometimes referred to as the backgammon straight race? The answer is simple. The art of backgammon is knowing how to move your checkers around the board toward your home board in the quickest way possible. Once there, you must roll the dice to remove them from the board in a process referred to as "bearing off." The first player to do so wins the backgammon game.

Of course, the above description of the backgammon straight race is far easier than it sounds. During the course of the game, both players are attempting to move their checkers as fast as they can. At the same time, they attempt to slow each other's game down. This is where backgammon strategy comes in to play, which will influence both the backgammon straight race and the general outcome of the game.

A common way players attempt to slow down their opponent is by "hitting" their checkers. This means that a player will move his checker onto a point occupied by one of his opponent's checkers, thereby sending that checker back to the bar. A hit checker must be played back into the game by throwing the correct number on the dice before any other checker can be moved. If a player aims to hit as many of his opponent's checkers as possible, he is guaranteed to slow down his opponent and interfere with his game plan.

Other common ways of influencing the backgammon straight race are employing defensive strategies such as holding or priming. Building anchors in an opponent's board can make it more difficult for him to move his checkers home and bear off, once again slowing him down. Remember, the more you distract an opponent from his race, the more likely you are to bear off before him.