In very general terms, there are three general plans employed. You need to be able to hop between techniques instantly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This consists of building a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at a minimum as deep as you might achieve, to barricade in your opponent’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most adequate course of action at the begining of the game. You can build the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your two-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the game advances.
The Blitz
This consists of locking your home board as quick as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. i.e., if your opponent tosses an early 2 and moves one piece from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you will be able to play 6/1 6/1 8/3 eight/three. Your challenger is now in big-time difficulty due to the fact that they have two checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!
The Backgame
This tactic is where you have 2 or more pieces in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor is a point occupied by at a minimum 2 of your checkers.) It must be used when you are extremely behind as this plan greatly improves your chances. The best locations for anchors are near your competitor’s smaller points and also on adjacent points or with a single point in between. Timing is crucial for an effective backgame: after all, there is no point having 2 nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then required to break down this right away, while your challenger is getting their checkers home, because you don’t have other extra pieces to move! In this case, it’s more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you might maintain your position until your opponent gives you a chance to hit, so it may be a wonderful idea to try and get your opposer to get them in this case!
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