Critical Strategies Behind the Backgammon Blitz
The blitz is considered by some as the most exciting strategy in a game of backgammon. The fast paced action and the aggressive attacks make it a very interesting game plan to watch. But is it all just that - players going gung-ho attacking in a complete frenzy? We'll now see the brains behind all this brawn.
When we play the blitz it's not all attack like crazy. It does involve a good deal of strategy and plays a lot on a person's luck. The main strategy behind the blitz is not necessarily the attack. Hitting enemy checkers is but a primer on the overall effectiveness of the blitz.
The real strength of the blitz is the prime set up at the attacker's home board. When all the smoke has cleared from all the attacking and hitting at a blitz play, the attacker's home board will be well covered up to 5 or 6 points long. This makes it very difficult, if not completely impossible, for the defender's checkers to enter from the bar.
The other horn of this crazy bull called backgammon blitz is the threat it poses to all the exposed checkers. A well-played blitz has considerable threats in place just in case a checker may slip past the home board. It can put one right back easily. These make the backgammon blitz quite a formidable strategy once all the pieces fit perfectly.
Though all that jazz seems to sound pretty easy, in reality a backgammon blitz would be quite hard to pull off perfectly. We'll discuss one piece of the strategy to make the blitz move like clockwork.
We've mentioned that the threat this strategy poses makes it very formidable. The truth is, without this threat the backgammon blitz strategy would fall apart quite easily. Having the threat poised and positioned correctly on the board would mean the world for an attacker playing a blitz.
The checkers to pose the threat to escaping enemy checkers ought to be positioned correctly if they are to be truly effective in a blitz. The recommendation is that these checkers should be placed within the attacker's 7 point to the 11 point. Anywhere else would be too weak to pose as a threat as either the escaping checker can pass with ease or friendly checkers can cover them.
The attacker's checkers that pose the threat also have another use. They also play the role of builders. They would be used to build the attacker's home board serving as a trap for enemy checkers stuck at the home board or at the bar.
Attackers can easily stage such action by initially moving 3 checkers from the mid-point and working it from there. This part of the blitz combined with all the hits makes a superb strategy.
The backgammon blitz is not essentially just hitting like crazy. The traps being set up slowly during the game adds to this formidable game plan.