In very general terms, there are three main plans employed. You want to be agile enough to hop between game plans almost instantly as the action of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This comprises of creating a 6-thick wall of pieces, or at least as deep as you are able to achieve, to lock in your competitor’s pieces that are located on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most acceptable strategy at the begining of the game. You can create the wall anywhere between your eleven-point and your two-point and then move it into your home board as the game continues.
The Blitz
This involves locking your home board as quick as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. For example, if your competitor rolls an early two and shifts one piece from your one-point to your 3-point and you then toss a 5-5, you can play six/one 6/1 eight/three 8/3. Your competitor is now in big-time calamity because they have two checkers on the bar and you have locked half your home board!
The Backgame
This tactic is where you have 2 or more anchors in your competitor’s inner board. (An anchor is a point occupied by at a minimum 2 of your pieces.) It should be used when you are extremely behind as this plan much improves your chances. The better areas for anchors are near your competitor’s smaller points and also on abutting points or with one point separating them. Timing is important for an effectual backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no reason having 2 nice anchor spots and a solid wall in your own inner board if you are then required to break up this straight away, while your challenger is shifting their checkers home, seeing that you do not have any other additional checkers to move! In this case, it is more tolerable to have pieces on the bar so that you can maintain your position up till your opposer provides you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a wonderful idea to try and get your challenger to hit them in this case!