Hitting & the Bar
📋 What it is
A lone checker (a "blot") can be hit and sent to the bar, and must re-enter before that player moves anything else.
🗣️ Coach says
Land on a point holding a single enemy checker and you HIT it — it goes to the bar (the middle divider) and has to come back into your home board before its owner can do anything else. Getting hit late in the race can cost you the game.
🧠 Memory hook
One checker alone = a blot. Hit it, and it goes back to start.
😂 Giggle
Why did the checker on the bar feel stuck?
Because it has to re-enter the board before doing anything else!
😲 Whoa!
A checker sent to the bar can be stuck there for several turns if the entry points are blocked — a single hit can undo a big lead.
✅ Quick check: What happens to a checker that gets hit, and what must its owner do next?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
It goes to the bar and must re-enter in the opponent's home board before that player can make any other move.
A hit checker is sent to the bar and re-entry takes priority over all other moves.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Set one lone checker (a blot) and practise "hitting" it — move an enemy onto its point and send it to the bar.