| 151 164 |                           | White money game Blue |
Problem #8 Play Votes Score13/4* 8 10024/15 2 708/4*, 6/1* 2 7024/20, 13/8 0 4024/20, 11/6 0 40 24/20, 6/1* 0 40
Chuck Bower: 13/4*.
"Early in the game, fight for your 4- and 5-points." Sound familiar? If your opponent opens the game with a 53 and plays 13/8, 24/21 or moves 24/21 with an opening 21 (not bad moves, especially when avoiding a gammon is paramount), how would you respond? Does the fact that White has made his barpoint and is 13 pips ahead in the race change your mind? Not mine.
Steve Clark: 13/4*.
When my opponent comes up to my 4 point and I roll a 5-4, I automatically reachfor one of my spares on the midpoint and hit him. Is there any reason I shouldnot do so here? Let see. I will still have a spare on the 13 point so that isok. The double hit, which is usually wrong, does not look any better thanusual. 24/15 is usually wrong as well, and here all of White's hitting rollswill work well. The fact that White has made his bar point is an argument fortrying to escape, but I am left with a loose position that is likely to stayloose next time. If that is the case, I would just as soon hit em. 13/4 stilllooks right.
Malcolm Davis: 13/4*.
Seems clear to me. Why would you play 24/15 when you are behind in the race? Let's hitand get ahead, or get further behind and employ our "way behind in the race" strategy. Anynon-hitting play looks inferior, and 13/4* looks like the best of the hitting plays to me.
Ray Fogerlund: 24/15.
I just run. Second choice would be hitting twocheckers, but here at least running duplicates the three White wants to use to make my 4 point. Next turn, maybe my objectives will be clearer, hopefully!
Hal Heinrich: 13/4*.
Blue has lots of plausible choices here -- however hitting your opponent off of an advanced inner board point is a huge opening theme.This position doesn't look like an exception.
Ron Karr: 8/4*, 6/1*.
There's no safe play. No matter what I do, White has a racing lead, a betteroffense, and shots. Therefore hitting seems like the way to go, and Imay as well hit twice to maximize chances of making my 4 point. I maybe able to get a successful attack going, and if not I should have timeto make an anchor or two to firm up the defense.
George Klitsas: 13/4*.
This looks like an everyday early situation. The fact that White has made his bar point, in my opinion, does not change the parameters enough to make Blue deviate from his typical play (13/4*). Blue needs some structure [the four point, for example - White has some already] and exchanging hits (�shaking� the pip-count) is thematic, since Blue is currently behind in the race. Considering other plays, I don�t like the marooned checker left on the 23 point, in 24/15, I rate 24/20 13/8 as falling in the �under the gun� category along with 24/20 11/6 and I have a sympathy for 6/1* 8/4*. If Blue had another builder on his eight point, in order not to strip it with the double-hitting play, I might give it the nod. In the actual position, I slightly prefer the usual play, 13/4*.
Rob Maier: 8/4* 6/1*.
When in doubt? 13/4* is going to get hit often, at least hitting two,gives us a better chance of making the four point. All of the non-hittingplays seem equally unappealing.
Snowie: 13/4*.
In the early stages of the game, hit and fight for the points which are goingto be important later. 13/4* is clearly indicated. Now is the time toattack before White starts to develop his position.
Kit Woolsey: 24/15.
Running the back checker feels right, particularly since White's midpointis getting thin and if White hits the fleeing checker that strips hismidpoint. The loose hits in the inner board cost a lot when hit back, andmay not gain all that much when missed.
Chris Yep: 13/4*.
This position was probably reached by standard opening moves W: 6-1 (13/7 8/7), B: 2-1 (24/23 13/11), W: 6-3 (24/21 13/7), B: 5-4. As a general rule, on your first two rolls of the game it's almost always correct, with few exceptions, to fight for your own 4 and 5 points by hitting any opposing blots on these points unless you can hit on the other side of the board or make a key point (e.g. an anchor). This position might be an exception to the rule since White only has one spare on his midpoint and has already made his bar point. 24/15 is a strong contender since White has to strip his midpoint to hit this blot, although it still gives White a lot of direct and indirect shots at the outfield blots (21 shots in all: 3-x, 1-2, 1-6, 2-5, 4-5, and 5-6). Among the 24/20 moves, I prefer 24/20 6/1* since the other two come under the gun without the tempo-hit (although Blue is a little better placed to return hit by having the second back checker on the 23 point rather than the 24 point). 24/20 6/1* might be right, but I don't think Blue needs the advanced anchor badly enough to make it worthwhile -- the blot on the ace point is too much of a liability in my opinion. 8/4* 6/1*, stripping the 8 point and leaving 5 blots, looks too aggressive. 13/4*, the usual move of an early 5-4, knocks White off the advanced anchor slot, while simultaneously slotting it for Blue.
The top two plays, in my opinion are 13/4* and 24/15 with 24/20 6/1* a close third. Since I have to choose something, I'll go with the standard 13/4* although it looks very close.
Summary: Once again the panel is willing to leave a lot of shots inorder to fight for the four point. Could be right, but it is not obvious tome that this is the thematic play here.