In astonishingly simple terms, there are three basic techniques employed. You need to be agile enough to switch game plans almost instantly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This is composed of creating a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at a minimum as deep as you are able to manage, to barricade in your competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most acceptable course of action at the begining of the game. You can build the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the game continues.
The Blitz
This is composed of closing your home board as fast as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. i.e., if your opponent rolls an early 2 and shifts one piece from your one-point to your three-point and you then roll a 5-5, you will be able to play 6/1 six/one eight/three 8/3. Your opponent is then in serious trouble seeing that they have 2 pieces on the bar and you have closed half your home board!
The Backgame
This course of action is where you have 2 or more anchors in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor spot is a position occupied by at a minimum two of your checkers.) It needs to be employed when you are extremely behind as this strategy much improves your opportunities. The strongest locations for anchors are near your opponent’s lower points and also on adjoining points or with a single point separating them. Timing is integral for an effective backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having two nice anchors and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to dismantle this straight away, while your opposer is moving their pieces home, seeing that you do not have other extra checkers to move! In this situation, it is better to have checkers on the bar so that you are able to maintain your position up till your opponent provides you a chance to hit, so it may be a wonderful idea to try and get your challenger to hit them in this case!