Why you occupy points at the opponent’s Head is stated briefly on the strategy page. Here are the details: how the two zones of attack differ, how many points you need, when the attack matters more than defence, and at what moment it is time to come out of it.
This is the part of the game to learn first. Attacking the opponent’s base is the first priority, and it has two goals of different size: at most a Mars, at least tying up his checkers and taking the initiative. The second is achievable far more often.
The opponent’s base splits into two zones
The six points the opponent moves onto from his Head are not alike.
The half nearer to you is the moderate zone. Small numbers reach it, and the checker stays relatively close to your own Home.
The far half is the aggressive zone. Putting a checker there takes large numbers on the dice, and it travels a long way.
The middle point belongs to both. It is the geometric centre of the opponent’s base, and it is the one to take first: from it you reach the rest, and the caravan trail runs through it.
The six points the opponent steps onto from his Head. The three nearer you are the moderate zone, the three farther the aggressive one; the middle one belongs to both.
What the zones actually differ in
The difference is not in the name but in what each gives and what it costs.
The aggressive zone ties the opponent down. Checkers there lock his Head in earnest, and from there it is convenient to bring your own checkers Home — the position is flexible, and rebuilding from his base into your Home costs no tempo. The price is double: reaching it eats a lot of pips, and it hands the opponent counterplay — fences of his own in the middle of the board.
The moderate zone suits defence better. From there your own base is easier to hold and his attack easier to contain, and checkers from the second quarter get out more comfortably. But it carries a real positional flaw: bringing checkers Home from it is hard, especially onto the far points — and the game more often ends with a Home built on one or two points, which is an awkward Home. Blocking points inside this zone holds the opponent weakly.
Hence a practical conclusion: checkers end up in the moderate zone by force more often than by design. Either the dice gave no numbers to go further, or the move from the Head mattered more and the attack got what was left. For a point in the aggressive zone an experienced player will often give up the move from the Head.
How many points to take, and how
The tighter the grip, the stronger it is. Where there is a choice, checkers go consecutively, with no gaps: neighbours cover one another by numbers, while a checker left apart is often the one with nothing to play. Stacks are avoided — two checkers on one point add no safety, because there is no hitting in Narde.
Three checkers in a row at his Head: he now leaves it only with a one, a two or a six, and your checkers cover one another — any of the three points can be retaken.
The same three checkers spread out. Just as many numbers are shut, but there are gaps between the occupied points: nothing to play from there, and every checker stands on its own.
The order of targets:
- Two occupied points — already enough to move on and bring checkers into the bear-off zone.
- Four out of six — the opponent is close to being strangled, and that is worth risking even your own defence for.
- Five out of six — playing for a Mars becomes the plain choice, provided he still has many checkers on his Head.
Four checkers that shut his exit from the Head on 3, 4, 5 and 6 are a topic of their own; what makes a fence dangerous is analysed on its own page.
Points are taken by aiming, not at random: before the move, work out where to put a checker so that the next move most likely takes the point you want. And keep at least one free space near his Head, or your checkers get stuck.
The outer points of his base are worth taking only when the second quarter has something to follow up with: a lone edge with no bridge is a checker that cannot get out later.
Attack or defend
The choice between attack and defence comes up constantly, and three things settle it.
The pip count. Ahead on pips — attack his base; behind — defend your own.
The size of the numbers. Large numbers mean attack, small ones defence. Two practical exceptions: if he has no free checkers near your base and his dice are stingy too, attack anyway; and the other way round, if the numbers are large but your base is under real threat, defend the base.
What he has taken from you. Before going forward, look at how many points he holds on your base and which ones, how many checkers are still on his Head, and what reserve of moves he has. The more of his checkers are stuck and the fewer free moves he has, the more the risk is justified.
Early in the game the choice is simpler: there are few checkers on the board and it is too early to think about defence. Attack.
Key points at your own Head are held throughout — first of all the ones you reach from the Head with a three and a five.
When to come out of the attack
An attack is not endless, and the most valuable skill here is seeing in time that it will bring nothing: no Mars, no fence, his checkers get away regardless.
The signs that it is time to rebuild into your Home:
- more than one or two points in his base never came;
- he has taken points in your Home, and your own base now matters more than his;
- there is something to occupy at Home and the attack has run out of resources.
The reverse rule holds as well: while the attack still has resources, checkers do not leave his base for your Home. Leaving early hands him his Head for free.
A point in his base may be given up for valuable points at your own Head, on one condition: at least one occupied point must remain there — a bridge over which the checkers come Home.
The bridge: one checker left in his base doing nothing else — but while it stands, the checkers on their way Home have something to step on.
Why this works
Capturing the opponent’s base is not a separate device. It is positional play, and it works through the same thing the fence and the quiet move work through: the opponent’s shortage of moves. Every checker placed at his Head takes a number away from him — and a game without hitting punishes precisely a shortage of moves.
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