In extraordinarily general terms, there are three fundamental strategies employed. You want to be able to switch techniques instantly as the action of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This is composed of assembling a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you can manage, to barricade in your competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most adequate tactic at the start of the match. You can create the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the match progresses.
The Blitz
This consists of locking your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your opposer on the bar. For example, if your competitor tosses an early 2 and shifts one piece from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then roll a 5-5, you will be able to play six/one six/one eight/three 8/3. Your competitor is now in big-time calamity seeing that they have two pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!
The Backgame
This plan is where you have two or more anchors in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position filled by at a minimum 2 of your checkers.) It would be played when you are decidedly behind as this strategy much improves your opportunities. The strongest areas for anchor spots are towards your competitor’s lower points and either on abutting points or with one point in between. Timing is important for a powerful backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having two nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break up this right away, while your challenger is shifting their pieces home, because you don’t have other additional pieces to shift! In this situation, it is more favorable to have pieces on the bar so that you might preserve your position up until your competitor gives you an opportunity to hit, so it can be an excellent idea to try and get your competitor to hit them in this situation!
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