Backgammon Game Blots and Primes
Backgammon game is skill and luck. And skill in a backgammon game means a load of good strategizing on how to beat the opponent in getting to the home board first.
There 24 points on the backgammon game board that players need to pass through and own or conquer. This is part of backgammon game strategy. The more points a player covers and possess, the more chances of getting to the home board fast, and the lesser freedom the opponent has in reaching the home board and win a backgammon game.
The important thing next to reaching the home board is to possess or won points on the backgammon game board. Possessing or owning a point means putting at least two checker pieces on a point. An owned or possessed point cannot be replaced by the opponent with a rival piece. Having just a piece on a point is a blot. When the opponent's piece happens to stop on a space occupied by the other player's piece , the opponent "hits" the point by replacing the piece with the opponent's rival piece. If all 15 checker pieces freely occupy points on the board, the player is well on the way to a backgammon game win.
If the opponent has all checker pieces out on the points and occupies (a blot) or possess owned spaces, this paves the way for a prime. A prime is owning several points successively. Every backgammon game's secondary aim is to have as many primes as possible. The end goal is to have a full prime. A full prime means a backgammon game player has 6 owned points in a row. With a full prime an opponent's freedom to move checkers is limited and may have some delays in having turns in casting the dice or moving the pieces. The backgammon game rule is that opponent checkers may not get past a full prime.
This also means delay in reaching the home board and bearing off the pieces for a backgammon game win. In a backgammon game, when several rival checker pieces are in a succession, a player's checker piece cannot occupy or get past such points and may have to forfeit a round, until such time that the checker piece has its path cleared of full primes or points possessed by the opponent.
To win a backgammon game, one must first strategize to own spaces or primes. This is to delimit or delay the opponent's chances to move as many checkers as possible.