sol8021m.htm | Gammonline - Backgammon Resources

Alan Alsop: 24/22, 8/5.
No big deal this roll. I think making the 22 pt is the first port of call. Safety the back men can't be wrong. Hitting and exposing too many blots is not a good idea. White has extra men to hit Blue if over stretched and potential to make more pts. I do not like moving to the 10 pt or the 3 pt this achieves little. I will go for slotting my 5 pt and build up my threats.

Chuck Bower: 24/22, 6/3.
How can grabbing the anchor be wrong here? White has a betterboard and will gleefully attack. I don't see any other deuce aseven tempting. The three that leaves the best spare distributionis 6/3. 8/5 leaves only 1's and 8's to comfortably cover, and13/10 starts a point with little ability to cover it.

Nigel Buchan: 24/22, 8/5.
When I first sure this problem I quickly wrote down I must make the 22pt, I haven't seen anything to change my mind. A hit would be to loose in this position. As for the 3, I like slotting on the 5pt . Unfortunately it makes the outfield look a bit flat, but I can live with that if there is a chance of making the 5pt, I am not to sure of the merit of making the 3pt. By making the 5pt it puts maximum pressure on Whites runners, and if the blot is hit it puts both runners in the firing line where I want them, there by stopping Whites offensive.

Tom Cunningham: 24/22, 8/3.
6-1* exposes me to a double shot and to more gammons, and Idon't like any of the other candidate moves that don't include 24/22. After 24/22 the best 3 appears to be 6/3. Slotting without stripping all my other builders.

George Klitsas: 24/22, 8/5.
The position of the cube makes anchoring on the 22 point more attractive than usual. It's difficult to be sure, but it seems that anchoring will lead to positions where holding the cube will be of value for Blue. Not anchoring, might often lead to positions where Blue will find himself with two blots in the air, struggling to avoid the blitz and the gammon and, virtually no chance of using efficiently the cube. Between the various anchoring plays and since Blue has not a safe three to play, he might as well slot the five point. Which leads to the solution 24/22 8/5.

Laila Leonhardt: 24/22, 6/3.
Getting that advanced anchor is probably going to determine the survivalrate in this game.Blue has been doubled and is facing an army of White builders, who willquickly be making more prime and board and if White doesn't make an advancedanchor now, it may well be costly.Leaving a blot, once the anchor is made, is not dangerous; an extra checkerback may even help the flexibility for Blue's back checkers. Choosing to slotthe not so important point as the 3 points is to make the biggestflexibility for Blue's builders, to quickly make a board.

Snowie: 24/22, 6/3.
Make the anchor. Unstack the heavy six point and leave fewest shots.Simple game -- just follow general principles.

Bob Stringer: 24/22, 8/5.
White has the better position. 22/22 is the only play that makesan improvement and so it has to be played. The only alternative is6/1*, which puts a man on the bar while White's blot on the barpoint is vulnerable. But I don't like sticking men on the acepoint unless there's no other play, so I'll make the anchor andthink about 13/10, 8/5 or 6/3 for the 3. 6/3 looks best since itdoesn't strip a point.

Casper van der Tak: 24/22, 6/3.
Easy. White has the stronger board, so first I want the semi-advanced anchor, and then I want to minimize shots, unstuck, and retain good spares.

Kit Woolsey: 24/22, 6/3.
Hitting on the bar point is way too loose. I need to lock up the defensiveanchor in all variations so I won't be playing with the threat of doomhanging over my head every roll. After that, 6/3 looks best simply becauseit unstacks the heavy six point, leavin me with a more flexible position.

Chris Yep: 24/22, 6/3.
I don't like 9/7* 9/6 and 13/10 9/7 which break the important 9 point. I also don't like 24/22 8/5 which strips the 8 pt. and slots the 5 pt. with the "wrong" checker (ideally Blue would like to use his spares on his 6 pt. for making inner board points). Finally I don't like 6/1*. Using the entire roll to hit loose on the ace point is usually not right in the early stages of the game. In this position, while it unstacks the heavy 6 pt. and breaks the connection between White's back men, it does so at the expense of other solid alternatives like 24/22 and 13/8.
I believe the three top moves are 24/22 13/10, 24/22 6/3, and 13/8. Of these three I have a slight preference for 24/22 6/3. Comparing 24/22 6/3 to 24/22 13/10, both moves make an anchor and leave a blot. However 24/22 6/3 keeps a midpoint spare, which is important. Comparing 24/22 6/3 to 13/8, 24/22 6/3 leaves an inner board blot, but more than makes up for it by (1) making an anchor and (2) keeping a midpoint spare. Thus, I prefer 24/22 6/3.

Summary: The panel almost unanimously recognized the importance ofnailing down the advanced anchor. The vote between going after the betterpoint vs. unstacking the heavier point was close, with unstacking winning.