In very general terms, there are 3 fundamental tactics used. You need to be able to hop between strategies quickly as the action of the game unfolds.
The Blockade
This comprises of creating a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at least as deep as you might manage, to barricade in the opponent’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is considered to be the most acceptable tactic at the begining of the game. You can create the wall anyplace between your 11-point and your 2-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the game progresses.
The Blitz
This consists of closing your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. For example, if your competitor rolls an early two and shifts one checker from your one-point to your three-point and you then toss a five-five, you are able to play 6/1 6/1 8/3 eight/three. Your competitor is now in serious difficulty due to the fact that they have two checkers on the bar and you have locked half your inner board!
The Backgame
This strategy is where you have 2 or higher anchors in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor is a position filled by at a minimum two of your checkers.) It needs to be played when you are decidedly behind as this action much improves your circumstances. The best locations for anchors are towards your competitor’s lower points and either on abutting points or with one point in between. Timing is essential for an effectual backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having two nice anchors and a complete wall in your own inner board if you are then forced to break up this straight away, while your challenger is moving their checkers home, taking into account that you don’t have any other spare checkers to shift! In this situation, it’s more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you can maintain your position up until your competitor provides you a chance to hit, so it can be a good idea to try and get your challenger to hit them in this situation!