Rob Adams: 13/7, 8/7.
Making the bar pt is certainly easy if not correct. Against one checker back, attack. 8/1* does attack. This takes away 1/2 of White's roll and leaves only the same direct shot that 13/7, 8/7 does. Also, 22/16 with some 1 also should be considered. Running is good and could be right. I'm choosing to make the bar pt. It just looks like a good structure with 3 builders still left to hopefully make the 5pt next. Of course, the blot on the midpoint is horrible. But at least Blue comes away with the bar pt even when things go badly.
And the other choices have their downsides too. Hitting loose on the ace point is usually to be avoided unless you need to take away half of your opponent's next roll. Blue is not quite so desperate here. And running just comes out to a double shot. This might be right if running were Blue's only game plan, or if Blue were well ahead in the race, but here Blue may prefer to anchor and the race is fairly even. And even if Blue escapes that checker, there will still be another checker back in danger of being attacked eventually. The other choices involving 10/4 take away the builder from the 10pt. These are safer than the other choices, but with more checkers back, I don't think Blue needs to play so conservatively here. Containing and/or attacking that last White checker should be Blue's strategy. So I think 8/1* and 13/7, 8/7 are the best choices. I'm choosing to make the bar point since it is a permanent asset and White's threats don't seem too dangerous right now.

Nigel Alsop: 22/21, 10/4.
Not too sure about this one, nice to have the bar point in this position 13/7 8/7 but leaves to many blots, 8/1 takes away half of Whites move but leaves Blue even further stretched than he already is with a blot on the guff. I am going for the advanced anchor hoping for the better of the exchange.

John Bakovic: 22/21, 10/4.
Three plays to choose from. The bold play of hitting the 1-point or cautious play of moving the blotter on the 10 to the 4 and then play the 1 with one of the back men or simply run a back checker. With equal count and White having only one man back running doesn't look right. Hitting the 1-point doesn't look right with equal count and equal inner boards. So I opt for conservative 10/4, 22/21 and will hope for a better roll at my next turn.

Chuck Bower: 22/15.
Blue has no appealing 6, so running into the outfield looks reasonable.Continuing 16/15 leaves the fewest shots and White's hit there leave hissubsequent builder farther from the homeboard.

Steve Clark: 8/1*.
13-7, 8-7 certainly has to be considered. It does make an importantpoint. Unfortunately it leaves 4 blots floating around the board, with agood chance that most of them will float onto the bar in short order.
A normal play here would be 22-16, 10-9. I prefer this slightly to 22-15.Unfortunately this play is unlikely to succeed very well. White will havelots of rolls that hit or make primes or escape or do something else thatis good for White. This is better than making our bar point but I am notenthusiastic.
What about 8-1? This play misplaces a checker, and it other deficienciesare clear, but it does take flexibility from White in his next roll.Besides he might flunk. I would not be talking about this play if therewas some half desirable alternative, but here all we have is dreck. Isuppose I will play 8-1.

George Klitsas: 13/7, 8/7.
It's between 22/15 and the unusual play of making one's bar point (13/7 8/7), partially duplicating aces that hit on the midpoint. I will go for the latter, although I would not object to 22/15 on a chouette.

Rob Maier: 22/21, 10/4.
I don't like any of the running plays. If we don't get hit we are still losing, and if we do get hit we are losing by a lot. Making the bar is somewhat attractive, with the obvious problems of losing the midpoint and leaving a lot of shots. With the race slightly in our favor, perhaps the stodgy stack'em up play will be the winner. Advancing to the four point starts the best anchor for a holding game, or the best chance of running one checker free.

Snowie: 8/1*.
Prime a point, attack a blot. White has only one checker back, sopriming by making the bar point won't be too effective. The loose hit ismore thematic. This prevents White from escaping or improving his offensenext roll, and unstacks the heavy eight point. For now the game plan isto blitz White's back checker out of existence, and while hitting on theace point may not seem to strong it is a start towards carrying out thatgame plan.

Marty Storer: 22/21, 10/4.
Very difficult for me. Making the bar point has someappeal, but I don't think the 12 shots at the midpoint are justified,especially given the vulnerability of the back men. Hitting on the 1point looks feeble. That leaves 22/21 10/4, or else some running play.Of the running plays, 22/15 looks best, but I picked the stodgy 22/2110/4. Being hit after 22/15 loses a lot of ground; 22/21 10/4 mayforce White to hit loose, where a return shot will be a big swing inBlue's favor. If White doesn't hit, Blue may still anchor, escape, ormake an inside point. The 4 point isn't a great place for a builder, butit's not terrible; the builder aims at the 3, 2 and 1 points, which havegained in value because White has no anchor in Blue's board. The checkeris safer on the 4 point than on the 10 point. 22/21 10/4 seems like thebest of a bad lot.

Bob Stringer: 22/15.
Plays like 10/4 just seem . . . unseemly. I can't do anythingworthwhile on my side of the board, and I've got to getting a back mangoing sometime, so why not now, before White's structure gets evenstronger? And unless there's a reason to do something else, when I runI run as far as I can. Here, the 9 point isn't much better than the 10point, if it's better at all, which I can't tell -- it brings an extraman to bear on the 3 point, but keeping the man on the 10 does abetter job of containing White's remaining man. And running all theway to the 15 point gives me a chance, if White doesn't hit, to makethe 10 point next time.

Casper van der Tak: 8/1*.
Against a single checker back, attack. This is often a good advice, so why not follow it here? It also provides a tempo to prevent White from consolidating the position. A strong alternative is 22/21 10/4, but I like the more active approach - and I like hitting plays in general.

Kit Woolsey: 22/16, 10/9.
Making the bar point gives White too many good numbers, and the play isn'ttoo effective anyway because White has only one back checker. Running aback checker starts to escape one man and puts pressure on White's outfieldchecker so White won't be free to do other things. Moving 10/9 puts thebuilder in a better place where it isn't six away from an already madepoint.

Chris Yep: 8/1*.
With more men back, an equal board, and with White having both building and attacking threats, Blue may as well hit loose. 13/7 8/7 is possible but I don't like breaking the midpoint so early in the game when Blue still has two back men. Some of the other positional moves (e.g. 10/4 plus an ace) look fine, but the fact that Blue still has a good distribution of builders after hitting loose convinced me to choose 8/1*.

Summary: The majority of the panel was split between the positional22/21, 10/4 and the loose hit. I must admit I'm still confused by thisproblem. There are several very different possible approaches, and nothingseems to jump out.

Problem #3    Play             Votes   Score8/1*               4      10022/21, 10/4        4       9022/15              2       7013/7, 8/7          2       7022/16, 10/9        1       6024/23, 22/16       0       40 24/23, 10/4        0       40