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Las Vegas 2024 Super
Bowl Streaker!

In exceptionally general terms, there are three main game plans employed. You need to be able to hop between techniques almost instantly as the course of the match unfolds.

The Blockade

This is comprised of building a 6-deep wall of checkers, or at least as thick as you might achieve, to barricade in the competitor’s checkers that are on your 1-point. This is deemed to be the most adequate course of action at the start of the game. You can assemble the wall anywhere within your eleven-point and your 2-point and then move it into your home board as the game progresses.

The Blitz

This is composed of locking your home board as quickly as possible while keeping your competitor on the bar. i.e., if your challenger rolls 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 six/one eight/three eight/three. Your challenger is then in big-time trouble due to the fact that they have 2 checkers on the bar and you have closed half your inside board!

The Backgame

This strategy is where you have 2 or more checkers in your opponent’s home board. (An anchor is a position filled by at least two of your pieces.) It must be played when you are significantly behind as this plan greatly improves your chances. The strongest areas for anchors are towards your competitor’s lower points and either on abutting points or with one point in between. Timing is critical for a powerful backgame: at the end of the day, there’s no point having two nice anchors and a solid wall in your own home board if you are then forced to break apart this straight away, while your challenger is moving their pieces home, owing to the fact that you don’t have any other extra checkers to move! In this situation, it’s more favorable to have checkers on the bar so that you can preserve your position up till your opponent gives you an opportunity to hit, so it can be a great idea to try and get your challenger to hit them in this case!