Rules for Hitting and Entering
The action and conflict between two opposing sides occur when players start hitting on each other's checkers. We'll discuss the rules regarding hitting and entering in a backgammon game. We'll also throw in a few tips for beginners along with the rules to help them move along.
We'll start on the rules by discussing points. When two or more checkers occupy a single point on the backgammon game board it is called a made point (also known as owned point). The rule is that there is no limit to how many checkers can occupy a single point. But expert advice goes on to say that making a huge stack of checkers is a disadvantage on position.
One particular strategy in backgammon revolves around making a series of points to trap the opponent's checkers. This strategy is called the priming game.
Moving forward, we'll now discuss what a blot is and the rules that tag along. When a single checker is on a point this is called a blot. The rule is that when our opponent has a blot on the board it is open to attack. Any of our checkers can occupy a point with a blot if we get a roll that allows us to land a checker on it. This is called a hit.
This rule goes on to say that when a blot is hit by an opposing checker the checker that is hit is removed from the board. There are strategies in backgammon that rely on hitting to make a win. One strategy is called the backgammon blitz. The principle behind this strategy revolves around making a lot of hits to impede the opponent's progress.
The next rule has to do with entering. When a checker is hit it is removed from the playing board and placed on the bar. The bar is the strip that divides the board in half. It separates the inner boards from the outer boards. The rule is that when a checker is hit it is placed there. The rule goes on to say that the checker at the bar stays there until it's the opponent's turn to roll the dice.
Entering happens when a checker at the bar is put back in play. The rule on entering says that a checker may enter and placed back in play if one of the numbers on the player's dice roll corresponds to an open point on the opponent's home board. This rule further states that entering should be the first move a player should make when one of his checkers is on the bar.
The rules for hitting and entering are fundamental and beginners are obliged to learn them before learning strategy. These rules are pretty easy and will be mastered by any beginner in no time.