Classic backgammon · Tactics

Blots and hitting

A single opposing checker is called a blot. Land on it and it goes to the bar.

5 min · 4 steps

This is the written edition of an interactive Boardgammon lesson — in the app, the coach narrates while you play every move on a live board.

Step 1 · Blots can be hit

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On the board: Blot

A single opposing checker is called a blot. Land on it and it goes to the bar.

Coach narration

Step 2 · Hit with the 3

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On the board: Hit

The 3 reaches the blot. Hitting slows your opponent because that checker must re-enter before moving anything else.

Use the 3: tap the highlighted checker on the 8-point, then tap Land here to hit the blot.

The roll: 3-1

The move: 8/5*

Hit. The Black checker is now on the bar.

Common mistake: Look for the single Black checker. A hit lands exactly on that point.

Coach narration

Step 3 · Make the point

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On the board: Make the point

Now finish the roll. The 1 from your 6-point lands on the same spot, making the 5-point while Black waits on the bar.

Use the 1: tap the highlighted checker on the 6-point, then tap Land here on the 5-point.

The roll: 3-1

The move: 6/5

The 5-point is made, and the hit checker must re-enter behind it.

Common mistake: Use the 1 from the 6-point onto the 5-point you just hit.

Coach narration

Step 4 · Bar priority

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After a checker is hit, that side must enter from the bar before it can use other checkers. Your new 5-point makes that entry even harder.

Coach narration

What you learned

You can now hit a blot, make the point on top of it, and explain why the bar slows your opponent.

Coach narration