In very general terms, there are three general plans employed. You need to be able to hop between strategies almost instantly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This is composed of building a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at least as deep as you might manage, to lock in your opponent’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most suitable procedure at the start of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere within your 11-point and your two-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the game advances.
The Blitz
This consists of closing your home board as quick as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. For example, if your opposer tosses an early 2 and shifts one piece from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a 5-5, you can play six/one six/one eight/three 8/3. Your opponent is then in big-time dire straits considering that they have two pieces on the bar and you have closed half your home board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have 2 or more checkers in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor spot is a position filled by at least 2 of your checkers.) It must be played when you are significantly behind as it much improves your chances. The best places for anchor spots are near your opponent’s lower points and either on adjoining points or with one point in between. Timing is critical for a powerful backgame: after all, there is no reason having two nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to dismantle this right away, while your challenger is getting their checkers home, taking into account that you don’t have any other spare pieces to shift! In this case, it is more tolerable to have checkers on the bar so that you might maintain your position up until your competitor provides you a chance to hit, so it can be a great idea to try and get your challenger to hit them in this situation!
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