In exceptionally general terms, there are 3 chief plans employed. You must be agile enough to hop between game plans almost instantly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This involves assembling a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at a minimum as deep as you are able to achieve, to lock in the competitor’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most acceptable tactic at the start of the game. You can create the wall anywhere between your eleven-point and your two-point and then shift it into your home board as the game progresses.
The Blitz
This involves locking your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your opposer on the bar. i.e., if your competitor tosses an early two and shifts one checker from your one-point to your three-point and you then toss a 5-5, you will be able to play six/one 6/1 eight/three 8/3. Your opponent 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 course of action is where you have 2 or more anchors in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor is a point occupied by at least two of your pieces.) It must be employed when you are significantly behind as it greatly improves your circumstances. The best places for anchor spots are near your opponent’s lower points and also on adjoining points or with a single point separating them. Timing is essential for an effective backgame: after all, there is no reason having 2 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 opponent is moving their pieces home, owing to the fact that you do not have any other additional pieces to shift! In this case, it’s more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you might preserve your position up until your opposer provides you a chance to hit, so it can be an excellent idea to attempt and get your competitor to hit them in this case!
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