The Blitz Attack
The blitz in backgammon is a strategy where your primary goal is to attack and hit your opponent's checkers, aiming for a closeout rather than focusing on building a prime to block them.
Let's examine a common opening sequence. I'll play the White checkers, and you'll play Black. Suppose I roll a six and a three. For me, the standard opening play would be to move the six from the 24 point to the 18-point, splitting my back checkers, and bring a builder down from the midpoint to the 10-point.
White’s opening play
Now, let's say you, playing Black, roll a 55. This roll often dictates a blitz attack. The optimal play here is to hit White's checker on the ace point – a move typically avoided in other scenarios. However, in a blitz, immediate point-making purity isn't the priority. The remaining two fives are then played from the eight-point to the three-point, establishing a strong blitzing position.
How Does the Blitz Affect Both Sides?
As you can see, Black doesn't have a priming structure here and is unlikely to develop one. By committing to the blitz and placing checkers deep in Black's home board, Black has abandoned the priming game plan.
White, on the other hand, is in a reasonably good position. Black's deep checkers can sometimes lead to an overplayed position, with many checkers behind White's rear checkers. However, if this doesn't occur, White faces significant danger.
Approximately 25% of the time, White will remain on the bar after being hit. Black can then secure the point, likely double, and White will be forced to pass. Even if White re-enters with a single checker, Blacks's strategy is to aggressively continue hitting any loose checkers. This relentless attack is the essence of the blitz – the game plan is to achieve a closeout, like this:
In this scenario, Black has successfully closed out their home board and will often win a gammon. This illustrates a victory achieved through blitzing.
The Scenario in Which the Blitz Fails
While powerful, the blitz can fail. Let's return to the position where White has just attacked with double five. Suppose Black rolls a two and a three. Black re-enters with the two and then plays the three to the 10-point, a slightly safer play.
Now, Black continues the attack. Let's say Black rolls a 6-1. Black will likely play the six to hit White on the 7-point, and then make the point.
Now, suppose White rolls a two and a five, a roll that allows him to survive the blitz. White anchors on the two-point with the deuce and moves a checker from the mid-point to the 8-point with the five.
Strategic Implications
In this position, White has weathered the blitz. When this happens, the player who survives often has a favorable position. Observe Blacks's board: it's impure, making it difficult to build a strong priming chain. The two checkers buried behind White's anchor are also a weakness. Although Black is ahead in the race, White has better timing, meaning Black might eventually be forced to break their front position because their back checkers are trapped.
The strategic implication for Black is the urgent need to get their back checkers moving to avoid being trapped behind a prime. Conversely, White's game plan is simply to survive the initial blitz. Being behind in the race, White should aim to build a prime, as a racing strategy is unlikely to succeed. If White manages to build a solid prime, for example, a five-prime like this, and Black fails to escape their back checkers, Black will eventually have to break their front, often leaving shots with a poor board, something like this.
In such a situation, White has an easy win and will likely win many gammons. Therefore, the blitz is a high-variance strategy. When it works, it's very effective, often leading to gammons, which is why it's so potent.
However, if it fails, the blitzing player must quickly transition to a racing strategy; otherwise, they risk being trapped behind a prime and losing the game.
Another strategic implication is the complementary nature of the blitz and the race. If you are ahead in the race, building a prime might not be necessary to win; you can simply bring your checkers home without being hit.
However, if you are behind in the race, building a prime becomes crucial. So, that’s a bit about the blitz.
Blitz vs. Prime Position
Blitz position for Black and prime position for White
In this example, Black has a blitzing position. Their home board structure is not pure, containing gaps. They also have stacks on some points. While stacks are inefficient in a priming game, they can be useful in a blitz as extra checkers to hit or build new points. On the other hand, White's front position is clearly not a blitzing formation. They lack spare checkers in the outer board to launch an attack. This is a strong prime position – a solid blocking structure. However, it's not well-suited for a blitzing strategy aimed at a closeout. Therefore, it's crucial to correctly identify your current game plan: Do you have a prime position or a blitz position?
For the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNgWrITqwCI