In Plakoto (called Тапа in Bulgaria) you never hit: you pin. A checker you land on can’t move until you leave. Plakoto strategy is about pinning at the right moment, staying unpinned, and protecting your mother checker.
The rules that shape the strategy
Players move in opposite directions, each starting with all 15 checkers on the opponent’s 1-point. Landing on a lone enemy checker pins it: it can’t move or be borne off while you sit on it. On ZAR the last checker on your starting point is your mother: if it is pinned there, you lose 2 points at once.
Pin early, pin deep
Your opponent’s first checkers have to travel through your side of the board. A checker pinned there is stuck for many turns, and your opponent plays with fewer checkers. A pin in your home board is the strongest, as long as you can keep the pinning checker there.
Don’t leave lone checkers in range
Everything that works for you works against you. Move checkers in pairs when you can, and when you must leave one alone, keep it away from your opponent’s checkers that are behind it.
Guard your mother checker
Don’t leave your mother alone on the start for long once your opponent can reach it. Either keep a second checker with it or bring it out in time.
Watch theirs too: when your opponent’s last checker sits alone on its start (your 1-point), landing there exactly wins the game.
Winning a mars
If your opponent has borne off none when you finish, you win 2 points; a mother pin is always worth 2. When you hold a few pins, take your time: every turn your opponent is stuck brings the mars closer.