Download Backgammon Game

Backgammon Considerations in Hitting a Blot

The quintessential question of when to hit or not to hit an opposing blot is an interesting subject in the game of backgammon. For one thing, hitting a blot immediately bars that piece where it must go all the way back to re-enter the board. Second, a re-entering piece can wreak havoc on a home board that's yet to be made. But there are certain straightforward notions about hitting a blot that one should know to win in backgammon. So, what are these obvious considerations about hitting a blot in the game?

The basis of these considerations is under a strategy covering an aggressive approach in backgammon. These rely on the commonsensical idea that you should hit a blot that poses the most risk to you. In other words, if given the chance, you should hit an opposing blot that's an immediate threat.

And there are two types of opposing blots that fall under this category. The first are shots or vulnerable blots that are closest to reaching their home board. The second are shots that are positioned on your key points.

Opposing blots that are about to bear in are threats when you still have runners on your opponent's home quadrant. If your roll allows you to hit an opposing piece that's close to bearing in their inner board, you should take it. In a way, this will delay your opponent's plan of defending their home board by sending them all the way back to start their run again.

Opposing blots on your key points, on the other hand, are dangerous in many ways especially when they're covered and turned into anchors. For one, they're hazards to your bearing-in process. And two, they're strategically employed in executing a back game where they'll be waiting to hit you as you're coming in or even bearing off to win in backgammon.

So when you see an opposing blot slotting on your five-point or four-point in an effort to make an anchor, you should target that shot before they make that point. An opposing anchor on your home board not only prevents you from creating a closed board, it's also a threat to pieces still in the process of bearing in as well.

Keep in mind that these backgammon considerations on hitting a blot depend on the timing of its execution. While there are occasions when standing back and not hitting is advisable, the threat of an opposing blot in an effort to close you out is simply unacceptable. And blots that are close to bearing in their inner board and blots eyeing your key points are immediate threats that must be hit, when possible, to win in backgammon.