The Priming Game

If Mike Ditka were a Backgammon player, this would probably be his strategy of choice. Of course if Mike Ditka were a Backgammon player, there would probably be much more swearing at the table than most of us are used to as well. The idea behind the priming game is that a good defense is the best offense.

The crux of a priming strategy is to build a long wall (preferably six points long and anywhere between point 2 and point 11) and trap some of your opponent's checkers behind this wall. The value in this is obvious. The long wall of checkers will limit their movement. It is very difficult to be effective in this game if you have pieces that are trapped behind a rather formidable wall of checkers. Ultimately, the best use of this strategy is to hit one of your opponent's single checkers and than keep it trapped.

If you are the victim of this strategy it is vital that your checker be moved somewhere that it can escape with a single dice. If your foe has built a wall that is 5 points long, your goal is to get to the front of that wall so you can escape on your next roll of six.

This is a highly effective strategy and one that can result in a dominant win as well as a fairly frustrated opponent.