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Escape Your Back Checkers

The third task of basic checker play is to escape your back checkers.

The reason this is important is that you can’t win the game until you bear off all of your pieces, and you cannot do that until you get all of your checkers home. You should usually try to complete this task early in the game before your opponent can “prime you in.”

Position 9 – Black on roll to play 63

If one or more of your checkers is trapped behind a prime and you don’t have a prime of your own to trap your opponent’s checkers, then you are likely to lose the game.

Weighing Your Choices

These three basic checker-play goals are each important, but none of them is more important than any other outside of a specific context.

One useful rule of thumb is that if you have a play that does more than one of these tasks at the same time as opposed to a play that does only one, there is a reasonable chance that the double-barreled play will be preferable.

In Position 10 Black has a 1 and a 3 to play. Black can hit White’s checker on the 20 point or can make their own five point. Both moves have benefits for Black, but making the five point accomplishes two tasks (hitting and making a new point) whereas hitting on the 20 point only accomplishes one.

Position 10 – Black on roll to play 31

In Position 11, let’s take a look at two of Black’s choices. They can either hit and escape (accomplishing two tasks), or they can make their own five point (accomplishing only one task). In this case, it’s right to hit and escape rather than to make a good point in your home board because you not only send your opponent back in the race, but you hamper Black’s efforts to block you in their home board.

Position 11 – Black on roll to play 65

A third example of accomplishing two tasks versus one arises when you can escape and make a new point, as opposed to simply making a new point. An example is Position 12 below, which hits as well.

Position 12 – Black on roll to play 64

Some of the best possible rolls are ones in which all three tasks are accomplished in one move. Usually, this occurs when you roll a double, as then you can move four different checkers in one play. In Position 13, Black rolls a 5-5: a fantastic roll, but how do we play it?

One choice is to close your board by making your three and one points, but then you still have to escape your back checker in order to win the game.

A better option is to run from the 23 point to the 13 point and make your own ace point. This play accomplishes all three tasks at the same time. And while it isn’t always correct to achieve those three tasks, a play that does so should certainly be on the top of your list of candidate moves.

Position 13 – Black on roll to play 55

That being said, there are times when it is incorrect to accomplish two tasks when one will do just fine. An example is Position 14 below.

Position 14 – Black on roll to play 53

You can accomplish two tasks by making your ace-point (hitting and making a new point), but it is a little better to simply make your five point.

Why? The reason is that the theory of tasks has to take into account not only the quantity of tasks you can accomplish but their quality as well.

In this example, you are better off making the five-point because it starts a prime. By hitting and making your ace point, you do make a new point and put your opponent on the bar, but you have created a huge gap in your board and will be hard-pressed to contain Your opponent’s checkers.