Play Backgammon for free. The software is downloadable and has a chat feature included when playing against other players. Tournaments can also be played for Fun. To start playing simply download and open a new table or join a table.
The Holding Game
Backgammon is so attractive that everyday it finds some new players. However, if you are a new player, playing against an expert, then by the rule of the law your chances of winning become significantly less. What is the solution? Definitely you should in the first instance avoid becoming a Walter Cookie, who believes in confusing the opponent by speed and reckless doubling.
We suggest you start off by learning to play defensive.
The Holding game is one of the better ways to play defensive. But what is a Holding Game? The simple answer would be that you build an advanced anchor to upset the opponent's move which should not be broken at any cost. This defensive strategy even works out fine when one player becomes hopelessly behind in the game. This cagey and often protective strategy often has a tremendous psychological impact on your opponent.
The concept is nothing new. If you go back to the earlier days, World Champions Oswald Jacoby and John Crawford in their skillfully explained backgammon book, explain analytically that the advantage always goes to the player who builds more advanced anchors as well as those who can hold onto their anchors for the longest period. The logic is that an anchor slows down your opponents up to and at the time of bearing off, when they have to wait to build your board anticipating a hit. The aim should be to make the life of the opponent as difficult as possible to clear the outfield points. The main feature of a holding game is that the player remains content knowing he can hit at any point of time while safeguarding himself from being hit.
The key behind this strategy lies in the wait and see approach. As the player is fully secured from being hit, he will wait to find out a tactical move or an advanced checker of the opponent to hit and the time within which the opponent fulfills the movement of placing the checker on the bar to bring it all the way back to the board, the first player organises himself. The most important point for holding a game may be point-13 and point-18. So, ultimately the game may swing in your favour, even if you were behind in the race. Defensive games are said to be very unattractive by nature as they lack the excitement of the aggressive game.
Take this example the player holding point-18 or point-20 is free to accept a double but 21-point may be very risky mainly when he is lagging behind. So, experts prefer to treat the 22-point as the holding game divider.
In the case of holding a game time now becomes the most important factor. In such cases one needs to go by the probability factor, whether the position is going to improve or deteriorate with the upcoming rolls. One needs to carefully analyse what precisely the situation is and whether he is absolutely behind and is the opponent about to make his board. Given this situation its better to leave the anchor and try to save up as much as possible instead of collapsing under gammon or backgammon.
The Holding Game is as it says a Holding game – it requires patience and the know how to play it, Holding Games require practice, without being considered as the best mode of action for your game plan.
