Read more about the
Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

In very general terms, there are three basic tactics used. You want to be agile enough to hop between game plans almost instantly as the action of the game unfolds.

The Blockade

This is comprised of building a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at least as thick as you can manage, to lock in the competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate procedure at the start of the match. You can create the wall anywhere within your 11-point and your 2-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the game continues.

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 opponent tosses an early 2 and shifts one piece from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a 5-5, you can play 6/1 six/one eight/three 8/3. Your opponent is then in big-time difficulty taking into account that they have two checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inside board!

The Backgame

This course of action is where you have two or more checkers in your opponent’s inner board. (An anchor is a point occupied by at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It must be employed when you are significantly behind as it greatly improves your opportunities. The better areas for anchors are close to your competitor’s smaller points and also on adjoining points or with a single point separating them. Timing is crucial for an effective backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no point having 2 nice anchors and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break down this straight away, while your opponent is shifting their pieces home, taking into account that you don’t have any other additional pieces to shift! In this case, it is more favorable to have pieces on the bar so that you might maintain your position up until your opposer provides you a chance to hit, so it will be a great idea to try and get your opponent to get them in this case!