In extraordinarily general terms, there are 3 fundamental game plans used. You must be able to hop between strategies quickly as the course of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This involves assembling a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at least as thick as you can manage, to block in your opponent’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate tactic at the begining of the game. You can create the wall anyplace between your eleven-point and your 2-point and then shift it into your home board as the game progresses.

The Blitz

This is composed of locking your home board as fast as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. i.e., if your competitor rolls an early 2 and shifts one checker from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a five-five, you are able to play 6/1 six/one 8/3 8/3. Your competitor is then in serious difficulty considering that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!

The Backgame

This strategy is where you have 2 or higher anchors in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor is a position filled by at a minimum two of your pieces.) It needs to be employed when you are significantly behind as this action much improves your circumstances. The best locations for anchor spots are near your opponent’s smaller points and also on adjacent points or with a single point separating them. Timing is essential for an effectual backgame: after all, there’s no point having two nice anchors and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then required to break up this straight away, while your opposer is getting their checkers home, owing to the fact that you do not have any other extra checkers to move! In this situation, it’s more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you can maintain your position up till your challenger provides you a chance to hit, so it will be a wonderful idea to attempt and get your opposer to hit them in this situation!