In astonishingly simple terms, there are three general game plans employed. You want to be agile enough to hop between techniques almost instantly as the course of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This is comprised of building a 6-thick wall of checkers, or at least as thick as you are able to achieve, to barricade in your competitor’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most acceptable course of action at the begining of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere within your 11-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the match advances.

The Blitz

This is composed of locking your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. i.e., if your competitor rolls an early two and shifts one checker from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then toss a five-five, you are able to play 6/1 six/one 8/3 eight/three. Your challenger is now in serious calamity since they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!

The Backgame

This course of action is where you have two or higher pieces in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor spot is a position filled by at least 2 of your checkers.) It needs to be played when you are extremely behind as this plan greatly improves your circumstances. The better places for anchors are towards your competitor’s smaller points and either on adjoining points or with a single point in between. Timing is integral for a competent backgame: after all, there is no point having two nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break apart this straight away, while your opposer is shifting their checkers home, because you don’t have any other additional checkers to move! In this case, it’s more favorable to have checkers on the bar so that you might preserve your position until your opponent gives you an opportunity to hit, so it may be a good idea to attempt and get your competitor to hit them in this situation!