In very general terms, there are 3 fundamental strategies used. You need to be able to hop between tactics instantly as the course of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This consists of building a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at a minimum as deep as you can achieve, to lock in your opponent’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most suitable strategy at the begining of the match. You can build the wall anywhere within your 11-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the match progresses.
The Blitz
This is composed of locking your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. i.e., if your competitor tosses an early 2 and moves one checker from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a 5-5, you can play 6/1 6/1 eight/three 8/3. Your opponent is now in big-time dire straits because they have two checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inside board!
The Backgame
This tactic is where you have 2 or more pieces in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It must be played when you are decidedly behind as this action much improves your chances. The strongest places for anchor spots are close to your opponent’s lower points and either on adjacent points or with a single point separating them. Timing is crucial for a powerful backgame: after all, there’s no reason having 2 nice anchors and a complete wall in your own home board if you are then required to break up this straight away, while your challenger is shifting their checkers home, seeing that you don’t have any other spare pieces to shift! In this case, it is better to have checkers on the bar so that you can preserve your position up till your opponent gives you an opportunity to hit, so it may be a good idea to attempt and get your opposer to hit them in this situation!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
