return to index| 17 156 | White money game Blue |
Even though White has taken ten checkers off, in the hands on an expert Blue is a definite favorite. It is true that if Blue closes White out when White has ten checkers off that White has the edge, but there are other things which can happen. Blue's plan is to trap White behind the blockade and force White to jar more checkers loose. If Blue canpick up a second checker he will be a big favorite -- in fact, he will probably be able to claim on a recube. In the actual position Blue should probably play 24/19, 22/20* in order to take immediate advantage of White's inflexibility. If White rolls 3-1 or 3-2 he is forced to leave two blots, and Blue will already have a powerful recube which might noteven be a take.
The above scenario is the ideal one for a back game. Unfortunately, notall back games are well-timed. Sometimes you are forced to Crunch and when you finally get your shot the position might look somethinglike this:
| 17 160 | White money game Blue |
Blue has hit, but the plan of containing the hit checker behind a prime and jarring a second checker loose isn't going to work. Blue has made his ace point and buried a couple of checkers in the process. What is Blue's game plan? Does he even have one?
Most players adopt a scramble approach. They try to spread their outfield men about to cover all parts of the board, and hope to keep hitting White as he comes around. The problem with this plan is that it almostcan't work. White won't have much trouble entering and moving, and eventually something bad is likely to happen along the way. About thebest that Blue can realistically hope for with this approach is tonever miss a shot and eventually scramble off the gammon. Building up the inner board and containing the White checker sufficiently to winthe game is a real longshot.
Does Blue have anything better? Maybe he does. Ideally he would like tojar another blot or two loose. If Blue can pick up another blot, he willhave a decent chance to come out ahead in the ensuing free-for-all. Buthow can Blue pick up that second blot? He doesn't have a prime, nor doeshe have the ammunition to make one.
Picture the following position:
| 30 139 | White money game Blue |
White is on roll. Offhand, it doesn't appear that Blue has done a very goodjob of positioning his checkers. He isn't blocking fives or sixes, andhis men are on the same points rather than diversified to pick up White'sfleeing checker. But wait! Blue has blocked sevens and eights. Is thisi mportant? Let's see. Suppose White rolls 6-1, 5-2, 4-3, 6-2, or 5-3.He has to move the large part of the roll with the outfield checker, andthen he is forced to take the rest of the roll in his inner board sincethe outfield checker is now blocked. 6-2 and 5-2 force White to leave oneblot and a double shot. 4-3, 6-1, and 5-3 are even better for Blue -- theseforce White to leave two blots. If White rolls one of these bad numbersand Blue hits a blot in White's inner board, Blue will have some realchances to win the game. One checker is difficult to keep contained with no prime, but with two checkers to batter around Blue will havea decent chance to keep White on the bar, bring his men around, andnot only get off the gammon but quite possibly win the game.
Now we are starting to see a real winning plan for Blue. Instead ofscattering his checkers around in the outfield, he should be tryingto make points and hope that these points cause White to stub histoe bringing the back checker around. Almost any point may do the trick if White happens to bump his head into it at the wrong time. That is why it is called the random point.
Where should this random point be? Most of the time there won't be muchchoice -- just make some point in the outfield and hope for the best. Sometimes, however, there is a choice, and by carefully examining the opponent's bad rolls you can maximize his chances of having an accident.
| 31 152 | White money game Blue |
Blue has his choice of points to make. Even though 18/13, 17/13 doesn't block big doubles, I believe this is his best play. This play leaves White the most root numbers -- 4-3, 5-2, and 6-1. Making the 12 point blocks boxes, but only 5-1 and 4-2 jar another checker loose. Blue may notget too many chances at that second checker, so he should make the most of what he has now.
While making inner board points is fine, Blue can't afford to takerisks to do this. He must proceed slowly, covering the outfieldand establish those random points.
| 29 134 | White money game Blue |
Many player mistakenly try to rush things by playing 11/6*. This simply isn'tthe right approach. If Blue is to win this game, it will be in the outfield.The 11 point is a great asset, a random point which gives White 4-1 and 3-2as root numbers. Blue can make another random point with 17/14, 16/14,adding 6-2 to the collection. The remaining back checkers give Blue sufficient outfield coverage.
When there is nothing to be done this roll, Blue must prepare for thefuture. A random point in his Outer Table is not something to begiven up lightly. In addition to potentially being a root number for White in the future, Blue can make a new inner board point by rolling doubles or the point can just serve as a key blocking point at somefuture time.
| 24 148 | White money game Blue |
Blue should not try to distribute builders to make an inner board pointby playing 12/10, 12/9. He would have to roll perfectly to make aninner board point, and these blots may be targets at exactly the wrongtime. Blue should hang onto his 12 point and hope it comes in handy int he future. Best is 24/19, which not only blocks 4-4 but creates 6-2 as a root number for White.
Blue wants to make any new inner board points, of course, but he can'tafford to rush things. Slow and steady is the watchword. Every point counts.
| 27 132 | White money game Blue |
It would be quite wrong to break the bar point in order to slot something inside. Blue doesn't have the ammunition to cover it. In addition, thebar point has plenty of value as a potential random point. White willprobably be sent to the bar a couple of times in the future as Blueslowly brings his checkers around. Every time White tries to enter,as long as Blue has the bar point there is the possibility that White will roll 5-2 or 6-1 and the ball will pop loose.
Careful attention to root numbers can make a big difference. Takea look at the following position:
| 41 129 | White money game Blue |
Obviously Blue will make the six point, but his other two aces don'tappear to be too important. Actually, they are. If Blue keeps his current inner board structure, White's only really bad entering roll is 3-1. However, look what happens if Blue shifts with7/6(2), 4/3(2). Now both 4-1 and 2-1 are disaster rolls for White. In addition, the shift takes away White's 3-3 joker which clears everythingup immediately.
Another similar example:
| 37 126 | White money game Blue |
Aces aren't particularly bad for White. If he is forced to play an acein his inner board he will have to leave a shot, but it is only one blotand if Blue misses the shot White is in decent shape. Twos, on theother hand, are a major disaster for White. If Blue makes his six point and plays the rest of the roll in his outer board, White has only 4-2 asa disaster roll. However, if White shifts with 7/6(2), 3/2(2), now both 4-2and 3-2 are disaster rolls. In addition, this shift takes away White's 2-2 joker. Since White will probably be entering from the bar several more imes this game, every time he is on the bar he is threatened with these disaster rolls. That adds up quite quickly to a lot of potential for Blue.
Careful attention to details and root numbers can lead to someinteresting plays.
| 32 135 | White money game Blue |
Shifting with 6/5(2)* and playing two other aces is short-sighted. That willput White on the bar for a second, but it will not accomplish what Blue istrying to do. White can live with aces -- it is his twos which are thereal root numbers. If Blue shifts, White doesn't have any bad twos. Right now there is immediate potential for some root number, since Blue's points are six and eight away from White's blot. The problem is that this is too efficient a configuration. If White rolls 6-2 he can'tplay the six at all, so he can play 20/18 safely. Blue needs to force White to play the whole number. His correct play is to shift the front point 11/10(2) and play the rest of the roll with his checkers in White's inner board.Now both 3-2 and 6-2 are root numbers for White. Note that 5-1 and4-1 also force White to leave a blot, although Blue does much better if White has to double-blot.
The next time you hit a shot from a badly timed back game, don't just scatter your checkers around the board without a plan. With the help of a coupleof well-placed random points, these positions can be won.