tonyh:There's a lot to be said for single point matches. It's an opportunity to practice pure checker play.  It can be a lot of fun, too, when you can take chances you would not take if gammons and cubes were in play.

In discussions of this subject, I find it useful to point out that cubeless games come up in a majority of matches even when the cube is in play.  For example, there is no cube in the Crawford game, and gammons are significant only against the leader.  Post-Crawford games are almost cubeless as well, since the cube is more or less automatic.  The clearest case is when the players are tied at 1-away:  there you are in a pure cubeless situation.

So you could say that you don't need to play one-pointers in order to have the opportunity to play cubeless; or you could say that one-pointers give you a chance to practice pure checker play, which will come in handy in those 1-away, 1-away situations.

As is so often the case, it's a matter of personal preference.