In extraordinarily general terms, there are three chief techniques used. You need to be agile enough to switch strategies quickly as the course of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This is composed of assembling a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at least as deep as you can achieve, to barricade in the opponent’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most suitable course of action at the begining of the match. You can create the wall anywhere inbetween your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the match continues.

The Blitz

This involves closing your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. i.e., if your competitor tosses an early two and shifts one piece from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you are able to play 6/1 six/one eight/three eight/three. Your competitor is now in serious calamity seeing that they have two checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!

The Backgame

This plan is where you have two or higher pieces in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor is a position consisting of at least 2 of your pieces.) It should be played when you are decidedly behind as it greatly improves your circumstances. The strongest areas for anchors are near your opponent’s lower points and either on adjoining points or with a single point separating them. Timing is critical for an effectual backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no point having 2 nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then required to dismantle this right away, while your challenger is getting their pieces home, owing to the fact that you don’t have any other spare pieces to move! In this situation, it’s more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you can preserve your position up till your challenger gives you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a good idea to attempt and get your challenger to hit them in this case!