sol6012m.htm | Gammonline - Backgammon Resources

Alan Alsop: 24/22, 8/7.
Very volatile situation it needs a bit of tidying up. Whites 4 point board with builders is inhibiting. Also White can look to hit Blues blots on the bar and 9 point. Making the bar point with the 2 or 1 lacks flexibility. The 5 point on the other hand looks good but still leaves too many blots. The risk of getting another man back sways me to make the bar point and cover the back men and limit Whites alternatives.

Chuck Bower: 24/22, 8/7.
Overall, Blue's biggest concern is his vulnerability, so grabbing theanchor solves much of that. Yes, offense usually gets the edge overdefense, but making the 5-point here is carrying things too far, IMO.After 24/22, 8/7 is the obvious ace. That dormant cube is beginning toawaken. The pressure is moving across the board, now.

Malcolm Davis: 24/22, 8/7.
A very difficult play - Owning the cube argues for making the anchor - If I hadgiven the cube away here, I would more seriously consider hitting, 6/4*, with the 2 and stillmake the 7 point.

Doug Doub: 7/5, 6/5.
I think that this is the toughest problem of the set. Certainly the'reflex' move is to play 6-4*,8-7. However, I cannot resist making thestrongest point in our board. If White had more material in place toattack, I might feel compelled to hit in order to protect myself, orpossibly to grab that anchor.
I think that actually making our 5pt, rather than threatening to make our4pt puts more pressure on White to roll well next turn. With the 5pt made,I would be happy to turn this into a blot hitting contest. I could be wayoff, but it is hard to feel too bad about seeing the 5pt there.

George Klitsas: 24/22, 8/7.
I think Blue must make his 22 point - 8/7 6/4* is interesting and tempting, but Blue has been doubled and there is a high gammon risk. I don't think that 8/7 6/4* is that much worse, it's a play that could easily turn up the tables, still I vote for the solid 24/22 8/7.

Rob Maier: 7/5, 6/5.
Making the 22 anchor isn't terribly ambitious, and it still leaves the five shot. I think it better to work on the offence for the moment.

Snowie: 7/5, 6/5.
The five point is the five point, as is so often the case. My back checkersaren't in too much danger, since White has only a two-point board. My goalright now is to put as much pressure on White's back checkers as possible, andthat means making the five point.

Bob Stringer: 7/5, 6/5.
My choice is between hitting on the 4 point and making my 5 point. Ipick the latter because White has a good structure and is headedtoward possibly making it even better, and I'd like to offset thatwith a stronger inner board and a flexible position. Although therecould be a storm brewing on the other side of the board, 24/22 8/7 istoo defensive -- my side of the board ends up looking too ugly andinflexible. Making a third inner board point serves a defensive aswell as an offensive purpose, since White had to be more cautious aboutgetting hit if my board is strong.

Kit Woolsey: 24/22, 8/7.
The one thing I know for sure is that my back checker belongs on the 22 point.I have rolled a two, so I'm putting the checker there. The bar point isnice, and if White doesn't hit my blot I will be well-positioned to continueto develop without having to worry about being blasted away on the otherside of the board.

Chris Yep: 8/7, 6/4*.
After making the 3 point early in the game it becomes more important than usual to go after the 4 and 5 points. It's too awkward to stack builders on the 3 point and with the large gap White has more chances than normal to make the 21 or 20 point anchor in front of Blue's made 3 point, significantly reducing the value of the checkers on Blue's 3 point. Alternatively, after making the 3 point in the early stages, it's often better to shift into an attacking game, since a priming game is less viable than normal. With this in mind, I like 8/7 6/4* (better than 7/4* in all respects since it makes the bar point while leaving the same number of builders to cover the 4 point next turn). 8/7 6/4* seems like the best of both worlds. It attacks, which seems reasonable with Blue's board as strong as White's, and it fights for the important 4 point, which is more important than usual as mentioned earlier. 7/5 6/5 is also possible, but in my opinion it gives White too many options next turn. Similarly, other moves are too passive in my opinion.

Summary: Offense or defense? In a very close vote, the panel choseto work on both sides of the board rather than make the strongest offensiveplay of making the five point. Either approach could well be correct.