In very general terms, there are three main game plans used. You need to be agile enough to hop between strategies almost instantly as the course of the match unfolds.
The Blockade
This consists of building a 6-deep wall of pieces, or at a minimum as deep as you are able to manage, to lock in the competitor’s pieces that are on your 1-point. This is judged to be the most adequate tactic at the begining of the match. You can create the wall anyplace within your eleven-point and your two-point and then shuffle it into your home board as the game advances.
The Blitz
This consists of locking your home board as quickly as as you can while keeping your opponent on the bar. e.g., if your opponent tosses an early 2 and shifts one piece from your 1-point to your three-point and you then roll a 5-5, you are able to play six/one 6/1 8/3 eight/three. Your opponent is now in big-time difficulty taking into account that they have two checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inside board!
The Backgame
This plan is where you have 2 or higher anchors in your competitor’s home board. (An anchor spot is a position consisting of at a minimum two of your pieces.) It would be employed when you are extremely behind as it greatly improves your opportunities. The strongest areas for anchor spots are close to your competitor’s smaller points and either on abutting points or with a single point separating them. Timing is critical for a powerful backgame: after all, there’s no reason having two 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 opposer is getting their pieces home, taking into account that you don’t have any other spare checkers to move! In this situation, it is better 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 will be an excellent idea to try and get your opposer to get them in this case!