When Should You Hit in Backgammon?
New players often hit every blot they can. Most of the time that’s a good habit. Hitting sends a checker back to the start, costs your opponent pips and time, and can keep them busy re-entering instead of building their position. But there are times when hitting is a mistake. Ask yourself these five questions.
1. How far back does it send them?
Hitting a checker on your 1 or 2-point costs your opponent only a few pips, because that checker had hardly started. Hitting one that has nearly reached home, on your 10 or 11-point for example, costs them far more. The further the checker had travelled, the more the hit is worth.
2. How strong is my home board?
If you have three or four points made in your home board, a hit checker may struggle to come back in. Every turn it spends on the bar, your opponent can’t move anything else. That’s when hitting gets really strong. With a weak home board, the checker comes straight back in and the hit gains less.
3. How many blots will I leave?
Hitting often means leaving a blot of your own, sometimes two. If your opponent’s return shots are likely to hit you back, and their home board is stronger than yours, the exchange can go badly. Count their shots: a blot six or fewer points away from an enemy checker can be hit by 11 to 17 of the 36 possible rolls.
4. Can I hit and make a point at the same time?
Hitting with two checkers onto the same point, called pointing on a blot, is the best of both worlds. The enemy checker goes to the bar and your checkers are safe. Always look for this first.
5. Am I ahead or behind in the race?
If you’re well ahead in the race, you often don’t need to hit. Getting home safely may be enough to win, and hitting can open up a fight you don’t need. If you’re behind, hitting is often the only way back into the game.
A simple rule of thumb
Early in the game, when in doubt, hit. Tempo matters most at the start, and a checker on the bar can’t attack you. Later on, think about the five questions above. The Hint button on this site is a good way to check your judgement: when it tells you not to hit, try to work out why.