| 145 151 |                          | White money game Blue |
Problem #7 Play Votes Score24/23, 11/8 8 10024/23, 24/21 4 8024/23, 6/3* 0 4024/21, 11/10 0 408/5, 6/5 0 40
Chuck Bower: 24/23, 24/21.
Blue's sorespot is his blocked back checkers. Now is agood time to begin to alleviate that, but how far shouldhe go? 24/23 doesn't seem to go far enough. White'shomeside is not overflowing with builders at the momentwhich pushes me to like the double split here. Even ifBlue never anchors up he has the alternatives of runningout after the double split, something that can't be said for a play which leaves a checker on the 24-point.
Ilia Guzei: 24/23, 11/8.
Despite the desire to make the 5 point I am splitting. The problem with my position is that I can die a slow death if I don�t get the back checkers moving soon. My opponent has split his checkers so it�s imperative for me to also split while he�s short on builders. If I am splitting to the 23 point, the point he�s not as eager to make, then the natural three is to safety the blot off the 11 point. Making the 5 point exposes a checker to fives, 41, and 61 - 15 shots. White�s 2�s allow him to anchor while 64 hits. Additionally, there is another blot of mine on the 11 point. Given that being hit is not fatal why fall further behind?
Neil Kazaross: 24/23, 11/8.
It would be nice to make our 5 point but I don't want to leave a 5shot and break our 8 point to do it. Thus I'll look for another play and 24-23 looks like my ace. For the 3, I think 11-8 is best and retains attacking chances and priming chances. 24-21 with 24-23 simply leaves White too many jokers. My choice is 24-23 11-8.
George Klitsas: 24/23, 24/21.
Hitting on the 3 point is not advisable, since Blue has the worst of it in inner board strength. Making the five point, leaves a direct shot and the back checkers blocked by White�s bar point. Blue must activate both of his back checkers now, when White has no ammo and the best move is 24/21 24/23.
Laila Leonhardt: 24/23, 11/8.
1 blot ok,,,2 blots sure, 3 blots ....hmm now it is getting a little daring.Splitting the back checkers is going to give Blue a chance to establish aforward anchor but also gives Blue a nice outfield control. Being able tohit your opponent indirect is half the battle because you opponent now hasto constantly watch his moves and make sure he doesn't throw away the gameby one long-distance hit.
Playing 11-8 is not eliminating a builder, it will work fine from the 8point also, but it is bringing a checker to safety and making sure thatthose rolls that would hit now are less attractive numbers for White.
Snowie: 24/23, 11/8.
The five point would be nice, but the combination of the direct shot onmy eight point and the two checkers crammed back on White's ace point istoo much. I need to get those back men moving. Moving both of themis too risky. White has the stronger board, and I still have the bloton my 11 point to worry about. It is better to clean up that blot andsplit. This doesn't give White so much to shoot at, and I will probably beable to play my next roll decently since my distribution will be good.
Marty Storer: 24/23, 24/21.
Difficult, but OK, come and get me. It's the old11-point builder against the 24-22 split. Hitting on the 3 seems alittle weak given the deficit in inside points made. 11/8 24/23seems too weenie; making the 5 (second choice) seems a bit too big.The split gains plenty if it works, and it has a very good chance to.
Bob Stringer: 24/23, 11/8.
The back men really have to get out of there. Although the fivepoint is the five point, I can't see exposing a blot on the 8point while my back men are in danger of being stuck on the 24point forever. 24/21, 11/10 leaves a man exposed to a fly shot atthe same time that I've moved one of the back men into jeopardy,so that's out. 24/23, 6/3* presents the same problem. And 24/23,24/21 has to be rejected on general principle -- I'm not going tomove up *both* back men when White has the stronger board and Ihave a blot in the outfield. That leaves 24/23, 11/8, which makesthe safest split and moves the outfield checker into a position todo some good.
Casper van der Tak: 24/23, 11/8.
The temptation is to play 24/21 24/23, but that is too loose, checkers exposed at both sides of the board while White�s board is stronger. Whit would love to hit loose, and Blue needs to tread more cautiously. Two plays stand out: 24/23 11/8 and 8/5 6/5. I think making the 5 is a shade to big a play (18 hits, if I am right, and all of them very costly), so I would go for the quiet approach of a minor split combined with putting a blot safe in a good place.
Kit Woolsey: 24/23, 24/21.
White has made his bar point, which means that a checker on his ace point ishemmed in. We have rolled the roll to get off that ace point completely,and we should take advantage of it. White doesn't have much ammunitionto attack us yet, but if we hang back too long the builders will becoming down from the midpoint and then advancing the back checkers maybe too dangerous.
Chris Yep: 24/23, 11/8.
It looks like 24/23 24/21 dominates 24/21 11/10. 24/23 24/21 gives White fewer indirect shots at the outfield blot (5 shots instead of 8 shots) and the placement of the back men (23,21 vs. 24,21) is also probably better. Having eliminated 24/21 11/10, the remaining 4 moves all look good. I have a slight preference for 24/23 11/8, which best balances the position in my opinion. 11/8 gives Blue a compact front position of 11 checkers. It gives White no outfield shots and moves the outfield checker to a better location. On the other side of the board, although Blue doesn't split to the 21 point, he at least splits to the 23 point. If Blue can make the 23-point anchor he'll have made a significant gain since White no longer owns the 8 point (6 away from a 23-point anchor).
Summary: The entire panel recognized the importance of avoidinggetting stuck on the 24 point. The only issue was whether to move bothback checkers or safety the blot on the 11 point. This looks to be apretty close decision.