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Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

In very general terms, there are three fundamental plans used. You want to be agile enough to hop between strategies almost instantly as the course of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This is comprised of assembling a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as thick as you might manage, to lock in your competitor’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most suitable course of action at the begining of the match. You can create the wall anywhere between your 11-point and your two-point and then move it into your home board as the match continues.

The Blitz

This is comprised of closing your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your challenger on the bar. For example, if your opposer tosses an early 2 and shifts one piece from your 1-point to your 3-point and you then roll a 5-5, you will be able to play six/one six/one eight/three eight/three. Your opposer is now in big-time dire straits since they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inner board!

The Backgame

This tactic is where you have 2 or higher anchors in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor is a point filled by at least 2 of your checkers.) It would be employed when you are significantly behind as this plan much improves your circumstances. The strongest places for anchors are close to your opponent’s smaller points and also on adjoining points or with a single point separating them. Timing is critical for a powerful backgame: at the end of the day, there is no point having 2 nice anchors and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break down this straight away, while your opponent is moving their checkers home, because you don’t have other spare pieces to move! In this situation, it is more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you can maintain your position up until your opposer gives you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a wonderful idea to attempt and get your opponent to get them in this case!