How should White play 32 here? “ ‘I had the sucker! It was huge, and a real beaut. But just as I was about to haul it in, it wriggled off the hook. Bad luck, I guess…’ “Often it’s hard to tell the difference between a fishing enthusiast hail of the one that got away, and a backgammon players story about the incredible dice that cost and the big game that he should have one and in both genres, the bad luck often results from some forgotten (or unnoticed) technical error.” – Walter Trice “Backgammon Boot Camp” page 93. Sometimes you really are unlucky, but from my experience, far too many times I do not spend enough time thinking about the best way to bear in and bear off in the end game. In this position, all the alternatives that you will consider leave 13 shots so to come to the correct answer you must correctly weigh the competing factors. You consider putting your opponent on the bar against a 3 point board with 5/2 4/2: You note that your opponent will stay on the bar with 9 rolls,