| 157 146 |                         | White money game Blue |
Problem #8 Play Votes Score8/1* 3 10024/22, 13/8 3 9013/8, 13/11 2 8024/22, 8/3 1 7024/22, 9/4 1 7013/6 1 70 9/4, 8/6 1 70
Malcolm Davis: 8/1*.
Probably wrong, but I just can't resist. I really don't want to break my prime, and24/22, 13/8seems a little too passive. I have less confidence in my answers this time than usual.Maybe the problems are harder, or maybe it is just because I have been losing. However, if my opponent fans, or doesn't hit or bring in 2 checkers, I like my hand. Otherwise, I will just have to deal with it.
Ray Fogerlund: 8/1*.
Well, it seems to me that if White is allowed 15 numbersthat make an anchor, then she will be able to build a formidable prime of her own. So, I will put a second checker up in the air for lack of a better alternative. I would really like to slot the bar point, but the best 5 would be to slot the 3 point too, and oh, by the way.......... that was not one of the options. By hitting, I can eliminate good reasoning from White's arsenal. She will be forced to depend on the dice, and I may be able to blitz her into oblivion before they can come to her rescue.
Hal Heinrich: 24/22, 13/8.
Blue's first priority is to get the back men moving, so we play24/22 and look around for a five. There aren't any good ones, but13/8 appears to be the least damaging -- it maintains the asset ofthe nine point and brings a man closer to help with the home board.
Blue needs to get the men on the twenty-three point moving, and this is the perfect roll to do it.
Ron Karr: 24/22, 9/4.
The first question is whether to pound away with 8/1*.My feeling is it's too committal. White gets an immediate shot, I haveno direct covers, and I still have to make the 2 and 3 points to getthe closeout (not to mention escaping the back checkers). I have agood prime, with reasonable chances to make the bar point, but I alsowant to be able to attack if White enters on the 3 point, so 24/22 9/4seems like the most flexible, as well as getting the back checkersmoving at little cost. It gives up the 9 point, but I think it's worthit for the extra builder.
George Klitsas: 24/22, 13/8.
The five should be obviously played from the midpoint (13/8). As for the two, the odd-looking 24/22, leaving a blot on the midpoint looks to me better than lifting the blot (13/11). I think it's more important for Blue to start activating his back checkers before it's too late, than worrying too much for a few indirect hits (1-1, 2-1 and 3-1). After bringing two down, Blue's army is visibly separated in two parts resulting in White controlling the whole outfield. After 13/8 24/22 (my choice) Blue controls the outfield with his checker on the twenty-two point and White has a number of awkward entering rolls himself, like 1-4, 2-4 etc.
Laila Leonhardt: 9/4, 8/6.
Blue needs builders to continue his attack on White before he makes ananchor in Blues homeboard.Bringing in maximum number of builders might also pay off by Bluesuccessfully closing out White and winning a gammon.Blue should focus on aggressively trying to prime or close out White, beforeworrying about escaping or splitting his back checkers.Hitting at the 1 point serves no purpose for Blue, he doesn't have buildersto cover, and cannot afford to get a builder sent back. And if White shouldanchor on the 1 point, Blue is still in a good position.
Rob Maier: 13/6.
A problem I can't find a clear winner for. I don't like any of the playsthat break the 9 point. Unless White gets blown off the board, the 9point will be an important piece of insurance. 8/1* seems over-ambitious,and 24/22 8/3 is trying a little too hard to keep everything. Byelimination, we are left with 13/8 for the 5. While it seems instinctiveto me to get the back checkers moving, the resulting position has too manyblots, and too much cleanup, and I have gained very little ground in theblitz department. Bringing a checker in to the 6 point has the advantageof creating a new builder for the blitz, and must be sufficient toovercome whatever benefit there is to splitting. While 13/11 eliminatesany immediate worries of being hit, there will be danger later if Whiteanchors, so we might as well do our best to prevent it by bringing the newbuilder in.
David Montgomery: 8/1*.
Blue would like to get his back checkers going, but splitting leaves a bad five, forcing Blue to either leave some shots or lose a point. After 8/1*, if Blue isn't hit he will have a strong attack, and even the hits aren't too bad because of Blue's strong blockade.
Snowie: 13/8, 13/11.
The bar point is the point I want the most, and my play gives me three buildersfor that point without taking any unnecessary chances. Sometimes backgammonis a simple game.
Kit Woolsey: 13/8, 13/11.
My back men aren't in great danger of being trapped. Looks right just tobring the wood down for a potential blitz.
Chris Yep: 24/22, 13/8.
Similar to problem 7 but now Blue is 15 pips farther ahead in the race,while White has made his 5 point, has a big stack of checkers on the midpoint, and has a stripped 8 point. These factors all seem to argue further toward moving up in White's inner board.
Since Blue is now ahead in the race he doesn't want to get stuck on the 24 point, but instead wants to split to try to obtain a more advanced anchor. Splitting now seems desirable, while White is on the bar and before White can bring down his army from the midpoint. Also, since White has made his 5 point, it is more urgent for Blue to try for an advanced anchor before it becomes too dangerous. Splitting also gives Blue more outfield coverage. White's stack of checkers on the midpoint have nowhere to go but the outfield; by splitting Blue gets at least a double indirect shot at any blots White leaves in the outfield. Finally, by splitting Blue puts pressure on White's stripped midpoint; if White uses a checker from the 8 point to make the 4 point, for example, he leaves Blue a direct shot. Thus, if it was right (in my opinion) to play 24/21 in problem 7, then it must be right to play 24/22 in this problem.
As in problem 7, I don't like destroying Blue's front position. Giving up the 9 point for more flexibility and only a chance to make the 3 point doesn't seem like a fair trade. The 9 point, as part of a broken 5-prime, is a useful point for Blue to have against two back men. I don't like 8/3 either. It gives White 15 shots (3s plus 2-1, 1-1, and 2-2) and leaves Blue with a stripped and somewhat inflexbile position. If White misses and Blue rolls a 5, he'll have to break the valuable 8 point just to cover, which defeats the purpose of slotting the 3 point in the first place.
I like the thematic 24/22 13/8. It's the best move to achieve the twin goals of splitting to a more advanced anchor and keeping the broken 5-prime in place. It leaves a blot on the midpoint, but since White is on the bar, more than half of White's entering 1s don't hit. The loss of the midpoint could be serious, but I think that the move's benefits outweigh this loss.
Summary: Split, build, hit? There wasn't much of a concensus on thisproblem. Very difficult.