The Blitz

The blitz is one of the most exciting plans in backgammon. One player attacks with everything he has, hitting checkers in his home board and closing points around them, while the other can do little more than hope for good entering numbers. Big swings and gammons are typical of blitz games, which is exactly why they are worth studying.

This article explains how to recognize the start of a blitz, what each side is trying to do, and the key cube guidelines that come with it.

How a blitz starts

A blitz usually begins early in the game. Typical signs are:

• one player has split his back checkers;
• his opponent rolls a strong number, often a double;
• he hits one or both back checkers in his home board;
• he makes one or two new home board points in the process;
• the hit player then fails to enter from the bar.

A classic example: Black opens with 5-4 and plays 13/8 24/20. White answers with 5-5 and plays 8/3(2) 6/1*(2), hitting the checker left on his 1-point and making his 3-point. White now owns his 6-, 3- and 1-points, and if Black rolls something like 6-1 he stays on the bar. White's blitz is under way.

A blitz does not require a double. It can start by making one home point now and another next turn. It is harder, though, if the defender has already moved a back checker to safety, for example with a run to the opponent's midpoint.

Objectives in a blitz

The attacker's goal is to put checkers on the bar and keep them there by closing as many home board points as possible, ideally all six. Once a blitz is under way, the attacker should commit to it. Hesitating with a few "safe" moves gives the defender time to anchor, and the chance for a gammon disappears.

The attacker's tasks are:

• make home board points;
• hit the defender's checkers in his home board, even at some risk;
• bring builders into range to make more points and keep hitting.

Builders are easy to overlook but essential. The attacker can usually bring checkers down from the midpoint, and sometimes his own back checkers too, to the area of his 7- to 11-points, from where they can cover blots and make new points.

The defender has one main goal: make an anchor in the attacker's home board. Once he has an anchor, he can no longer be closed out, and the blitz is considered to have failed.

Cube handling in a blitz

Blitz positions are among the trickiest for cube decisions, because gammons count heavily. The following are rules of thumb, not exact laws.

For the attacker, a strong moment to double is when he has made three or more home points, the defender has checkers on the bar, and the attacker has builders ready to continue. With one defending checker on the bar this may still be a take; with two on the bar it is usually a pass.

For the defender, the main factors are:

• three attacker home points and little threat: usually a take (and often too early for the attacker to double);
• three home points with strong threat, or four or more home points: usually a pass;
• one checker on the bar: often a take; two checkers on the bar: usually a pass;
• an anchor in the attacker's board: usually a take, because a closeout is no longer possible;
• no anchor and blots of his own that can be attacked: usually a pass.

In short, the defender has to judge how likely he is to enter, ideally making an anchor while he does so, before the attacker closes the board.

Threat

By threat we mean the number and placement of the attacker's builders. Without builders, the attacker cannot make enough points, and the defender's chances grow. With several builders spread over different points, the attacker has many rolls that continue the attack, and passing becomes much more attractive for the defender. The more numbers that point on the defender's blots, the bigger the threat.

When things go wrong

A blitz can collapse quickly. Imagine the defender rolls a lucky double from the bar: he enters, makes an anchor, hits one of the attacker's blots, and makes a third point in his own board. If the attacker then fails to enter, the roles are reversed, and the former defender may now have a strong double of his own.

Such turnarounds are not common, but they show why the attacker must keep bringing builders and why the defender should never give up. For more attacking plans, read about priming games and playing for gammon; for chances to enter from the bar, see the probability tables.