When walking in the plains of Africa, well just imagine
it and you'll see where I'm coming from in a minute.
Anyway, back to this backgammon strategy article... You're
on the plains and big angry lion is nearby, what to do?
The best thing is to stand as still as possible, hope and
pray that he hasn't seen you.
He will undoubtedly be able to smell you, so you're best
to stay as calm and still for long as possible. Don't back
off, you know that if you move to back off he could well
attack. When he loses interest and has started to move away
from you then run like the wind and hope you win the race
for survival.
Backgammon has similar situations as well, especially when
playing too cautiously in a back game. Backgammon is, essentially,
a race game combined with mixed strategies. Back games as
its name suggests, applies to a defensive structure and
often includes one or two anchors.
These back games involve holding both these points for
as long as is required and to force your opponent to bear
in or off, hit a late shot and contain the blot behind a
prime.
Back game anchors are typically deep and close together
(1-2, 1-3, 2-3, 2-4). Keeping these back tends to delay
the winning shot and which allows time to prepare a prime
to contain the piece or pieces that you hit. If the two
anchors are widely separated in a defensive structure, (1-4,
1-5, 2-5) or are both advanced (3-4, 3-5, 4-5) either can
be known as a back game.
These structures don't always turn out to favour the same
strategy as deep anchor back games. However, they can afford
an excellent winning chance, but if your shot comes before
you're ready, the result often backfires and results in
a gammon or backgammon loss.
That's where the lion, picking up your smell attacks and
sinks his teeth into you, you jjust weren't quick enough!
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