In astonishingly general terms, there are 3 basic techniques used. You must be able to switch strategies almost instantly as the course of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This is comprised of creating a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as deep as you can manage, to block in the opponent’s checkers that are located on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most adequate tactic at the begining of the game. You can create the wall anywhere inbetween your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the match advances.
The Blitz
This is comprised of locking your home board as fast as possible while keeping your challenger on the bar. i.e., if your competitor rolls an early two and shifts one piece from your 1-point to your three-point and you then toss a five-five, you can play six/one 6/1 8/3 eight/three. Your competitor is now in serious difficulty due to the fact that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have locked half your home board!
The Backgame
This strategy is where you have two or more checkers in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor spot is a position filled by at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It would be played when you are extremely behind as it much improves your chances. The strongest locations for anchors are towards your opponent’s lower points and either on adjoining points or with a single point in between. Timing is integral for an effective backgame: after all, there is no point having 2 nice anchor spots and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then required to break apart this right away, while your opponent is shifting their pieces home, owing to the fact that you don’t have other additional checkers to shift! In this case, it is more favorable to have checkers on the bar so that you are able to 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 opponent to hit them in this situation!
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