In astonishingly general terms, there are three main strategies employed. You want to be able to switch tactics instantly as the course of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This consists of assembling a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as thick as you can manage, to block in your competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most suitable procedure at the begining of the game. You can create the wall anywhere within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the game progresses.
The Blitz
This involves locking your home board as fast as possible while keeping your opponent on the bar. For example, if your challenger tosses an early two and moves one piece from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then toss a five-five, you will be able to play 6/1 6/1 eight/three eight/three. Your opposer is now in serious difficulty due to the fact that they have two pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inside board!
The Backgame
This strategy is where you have two or more checkers in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor is a position filled by at least two of your pieces.) It needs to be played when you are decidedly behind as this strategy greatly improves your circumstances. The strongest places for anchor spots are close to your opponent’s lower points and either on adjoining points or with a single point separating them. Timing is critical for an effective backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having two nice anchors and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break apart this straight away, while your challenger is getting their pieces home, owing to the fact that you do not have other spare checkers to shift! In this situation, it’s better to have pieces on the bar so that you can preserve your position up until your challenger gives you an opportunity to hit, so it will be a great idea to try and get your opponent to get them in this situation!
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