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Like chess, it's best to think of checkers as a type of battle, with the board as the territory to be controlled and the pieces as soldiers who advance and retreat. Victory means controlling the most amount of squares more effectively than your opponent. In that equation, the most important section of the board is the center, which provides the widest variety of moves and thus the most options for you to exploit. Corner squares and edges mean more limited moves and fewer options: An opponent who is boxed in can often do little to regain the momentum of the game.
Time Frame
Checkers has no official time frame beyond the exchange of turns, but there are definite phases to the game that help dictate the strongest moves. The early game consists of preparation, where you maneuver your pieces in anticipation of your chosen strategy. It's marked by the need to know what you have in store and to anticipate you opponent's means of stopping it. The mid-game represents the battle itself, where you and your opponent struggle for domination. It's marked by the need for careful evaluation and an ability to shift tactics to adjust to unforeseen developments. The late game involves finishing moves: one player has emerged dominant and must strive to strike the killing blow, while his opponent looks for some way to recover. it is generally regarded as the most important phase in the game.
Considerations
Checkers experts often divide the board into diagonals, which measure the path of a given piece in one direction or another. A long diagonal that allows a piece to move many spaces before coming to the edge of the board is usually an attack vector, ideal for offensive moves. Those pieces with limited room to move serve a much more defensive purpose. It's no mistake than an offensive diagonal from your perspective is a defensive diagonal for your opponent's. You can use that evaluation to help predict the opponent's moves and gain some understanding of his chosen strategy.
Considerations
While the list of possible moves is as endless in checkers as the number of strategies, moves that force your opponent to act usually work to your advantage. Checkers experts cite such moves as vital to a successful match. Average players will simply bide their time and wait until the other player makes a mistake. Good players seek to dictate the tempo of the game, and by making the opponent move to protect a piece or a position on the board, you force him into a defensive, reactionary state of mind.
Considerations
When you have an advantage in terms of the number of checkers, it's sensible to allow for one-for-one trade-offs. Some believe that this is poor sportsmanship, but there are fewer ways to win more efficiently than pressing an advantage in field presence. Every piece eliminated reduces your opponent's options, and as long as you have more than he does, you'll always be able to dictate the pace of the game.