Strategy

Early in the game, try to avoid playing checkers too deep in your own home board. Once you do they are pretty much out of play for the rest of the game. While that may help you in the race, almost all games have a phase where hitting your opponent or containing their checkers are the most important goals, and checkers buried in your board can't do that.

Try to establish a defensive point, an anchor, in your enemy's home board. This gives you a landing spot to come in on should you get hit and prevents your opponent from making his home board. Early in the game try to establish anchors on the higher points (20,21). If you become significantly behind in the race, the lower points (22,23,24) have more value as your strategy is to build your home board and wait for a shot. If you have two anchors try to keep them on adjacent points.

Try to distribute checkers so that they kept within six pips of one another. This ensures that a checker will be nearby if a man needs to be covered or if a runner needs a point to rest at.

Try to build points without gaps between them to form a blockade directly in front of the enemy checkers in your home board to prevent their escape. Six points in a row is called a prime. A prime makes it impossible for your opponent to escape for as long as you can maintain that structure. Six points in a row in the player�s home board is called a closed board since any opposing checkers on the bar cannot legally reentered and are close or shut out of the game until the controlling player uncovers on the six points. Consider shifting points (giving up one point in order to make an adjacent point) if it helps to create a blockade.

Try to hit checkers that are the most advanced or checkers that your opponent would like to cover to establish an important point. Attack only when it is advantageous to do so.

A common error of many beginners is avoiding blots (a single checker on a point) at all costs. When considering whether to make a risky play, pay special attention to how many points your opponent has made in their board. If they only hold 1 or 2 points, you are probably not in much danger even if you get hit. When they have 4 or 5 points made, a hit could easily be fatal to your game.

Try diversifying by spreading out your checkers to increase the number of good rolls on a subsequent turn.

It is sometimes good strategy to leave blots early in the game so that they can be used to establish a strong offense or defense. These blots are often called slots. Slots are a single checkers that are left exposed on a point the player wishes to make, with the intention of covering the blot on the next turn. However, if you are in a weaker position consider consolidating to reducing your number of blots.

Avoid building towers. Try to get 2 or 3 checkers on a larger number of points. Having 5 or 6 (or more) checkers on each of 2 points is very bad strategy, and is usually worth taking some risks to avoid.

Good luck!