In very general terms, there are three main game plans employed. You must be agile enough to hop between game plans instantly as the course of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This consists of building a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at a minimum as deep as you can manage, to lock in your competitor’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most acceptable strategy at the start of the match. You can create the wall anyplace within your 11-point and your 2-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the game advances.
The Blitz
This consists of closing your home board as fast as possible while keeping your opponent on the bar. For example, if your competitor tosses an early 2 and moves one piece from your 1-point to your three-point and you then toss a five-five, you will be able to play 6/1 six/one eight/three eight/three. Your competitor is now in serious dire straits due to the fact that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your home board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have two or more anchors in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at least two of your checkers.) It would be employed when you are decidedly behind as it greatly improves your opportunities. The strongest places for anchors are close to your competitor’s lower points and also on abutting points or with one point separating them. Timing is critical for a competent backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having 2 nice anchors and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break apart this straight away, while your competitor is getting their checkers home, owing to the fact that you do not have other spare pieces to move! In this situation, it’s better to have checkers on the bar so that you can preserve your position up till your competitor gives you a chance to hit, so it can be an excellent idea to try and get your opposer to get them in this case!
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