Backgammon Points

The Best Backgammon Point

The best point to be reached in the early stages of the game is the Five-Point in your homeboard. Try to reach the five-point early on in the game, and if you do so you'll have an advantage over your opponent. reaching the five-point has to be done with two backgammon checkers at least, in order to form a closed backgammon point.

The main advantage of reaching your five point is that you therefore manage to block your opponent on your homeboard. This means that your opponent's checkers situated on the 1-point are now blocked by the five-point if he gets a roll of 4. If he gets a 5 he is still blocked by the four checkers that remained on the six-point.

Remember that sometimes you have a choice, either to make a backgammon point on the five-point, or to make a different point, and in most cases you should choose the five-point as your destination.

Other Backgammon Points to Reach

Other preferred backgammon points, with a lesser strategic value than the five-point, are the four-point and the seven-point. These points both have equal value.

Below in rank are the eight-point and the three-point, also with the same value.

The final preferred point is the nine-point, which has greater value than the two-point. Try to remember the order of the preferred points to make and you'll make the online backgammon game easier for you, and also play a better skilled game.

Backgammon

Backgammon is played on a board of twenty-four narrow triangles called points. The triangles alternate in colour and are grouped into four quadrants of six triangles each.

The quadrants are referred to as a player's home board and outer board and the opponent's home board and outer board. The home and outer boards are separated by a ridge down the centre of the board called the bar.

History

Backgammon has a long complicated history, but the exact origin of the game remains unknown, despite much farfetched and ingenious conjecture.

Gaming boards featuring three time ten squares have been discovered in ancient Egyptian archaeological sites. The ancient Egyptians knew it as Game of Thirty Squares or Senet, but rules remain unknown. Boards have also been found with three times twelve squares and three times six squares, but no one knows if these are different games or just variants.

Planning Your Game

Always have a plan for a game, it may alter several times throughout the game, but you always need to focus on how victory can be achieved or a loss may be avoided. Never just drift into a weak position.