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Current Position - what should White play here?

Position 340

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 How should White play 11 here? When you roll doubles, it is like having two rolls in a row. So, take your time and carefully consider all the options – there will be many. Consider 24/22(2): This is the defensive move, but you should always prefer offence of moves to defensive moves, unless you really need to play defensively. This move makes it harder for Black to unstack the 3 spare checkers on their 6 point. It also gives you more direct and indirect shots into Blacks outfield, making it harder for them to bring builders down off their 13 point. Countering that is the fact that the 22 point anchor is not a very good anchor. And you have better offensive play is to make. Consider 6/4(2): This makes another inner board point and you have 3 builders aimed at your 7 point. If you make your 7 point then you will have a 5 prime. The issue with this play is that any 6 apart from 66 and 61 give Black the chance to escape. 65 escapes completely, 62 escapes and hits 24/16*, while

Position 339

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 How should White play 42 here? You could make a completely safe play here by playing 5/1 5/3: Your gameplan here is not to blitz your opponent by hitting them and putting them on the bar, rather it is to get your checkers home safely and win the race. This is a very feasible game plan is after the roll you will be ahead in the race by 31 pips. Unless you roll doubles, you will probably have to you leave a shot, and the best time to leave a shot is when your opponent’s board is weak or has blots in it. Here Black has a blot and only a 3 point board, so you are justified in leaving shots in order to start getting your checkers home. In “Backgammon Boot Camp” by Walter Trice, the author recommends that if you’re not sure what to do, just pick up your rear most checker and move it closer to home. If you followed that advice blindly, you would play 16/10: This allows Black to hit you with any 3 or 4. There is some duplication of 4’s as they also cover Black’s blot on their 4 point. Unf

Position 338

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 How should White play 11 here? Sebastian Wilkinson, a fine British player once said “advanced anchors are awesome”. If you followed that saying, you would play 24/20: After the roll, you are still behind in the race by 14 pips and have done nothing to make it harder for Black to escape there last checker still in your home board. If you had left your checker on the 24 point where it was, then a lot of Blacks 5’s or 4’s play awkwardly. 24/20 allows Black to play those awkward rolls behind the 20 point anchor, while waiting to escape into the outfield with their last checker back. This is really a racing play, when we are behind in the race. Still a great saying, when applied at the right time. Consider 24/20 6/5(2): This move improves your home board, while maintaining a lot of contact. But Black can still escape into the outfield with any 6. They can still play their awkward 5’s and 4’s behind your checker on the 22 point. This move will take some of the pressure off Black by

Position 337

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 How should White play 11 here? I have lost count of the number of times that I have been told “the 5 point is the 5 point”. Kit Woolsey said this to emphasise the fact, that if you have the choice, you could never go far wrong by making your 5 point. There is a lot of truth in the saying but there are times when it is wrong to make your 5 point. Consider 8/7(2) 6/5(2): Not only does this make your 5 point, but it also makes your 7 point and gives you a 4 prime. This is great, but Black has checkers on 4 different points that can be used to attack your blot on your 22 point while making their 3 point. You need to grab an anchor here, rather than trusting in the mercy of Black. Consider 24/22 6/5(2): This gives you the 22 point anchor and also make sure 5 point. That is the good news, but the bad news is Black could make their 9 point, which would block any of your escaping 6’s. Black could also make their 4 point, or even the 7 point. The other issue with this play is that your

Position 336

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 How should White play 54 here? All you have to do is get your checkers home to win the game. In order to do that you have to determine how much risk you are willing to take and consider what other factors are in play. The riskiest move that wins the most Gammons is to go 10/6 8/3: This wins the most Gammons because if you are not hit, you will have the best chance of making your 3 point and your opponent could stay on the bar a long time. This move is also the riskiest as your opponent hits you with a direct number from the bar, not an indirect one like all the other alternatives. This risk is just too much. Consider 9/4 8/4: This brings 2 checkers into your board safely, and only leaves 1 outfield blot. The problem with this move is that you always want to clear the point 6 or 5 pips away from your opponent’s anchor. Those are the points that will leave the most shots. If you cannot clear those points, you want to start to clear those points. This move does neither, so you shou

Position 335

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 How should White play 31 here? You have to ask yourself; how do you win from here? Consider 6/3 2/1: This is 100% safe for Blacks next roll, but what will most likely happen? Black is a good chance of covering one of their inner board blots, giving Black a 5 point board. Meanwhile you will have run out of safe moves and will either be forced to leave a shot or give up your 6 point further making your position worse. You will be hoping for a large double but 66 leaves you the exact same position, and all other doubles fail to get your two back checkers any closer than your 10 point. Then you will be in the same position next roll. Consider 15/14 15/12: Your opponent could hit you, but they have 2 inner board blots and they would have to get very lucky to both hit and cover in the same roll. Your opponent’s 3’s are duplicated to hit 16/13* and to cover the blot on their 1 point with 4/1. This duplication is not the primary reason for making this move, just a nice bonus. You have

Position 334

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 How should White play 21 here? Your choice in this position is very simple, after you have hit the first checker bar/24*, do you play safe with 3/1 or do you hit another checker and leave a direct shot from the bar with 6/4*? Consider the single hitting play of bar/24* 3/1: It is good to ask yourself what will the future hold after each candidate play. Here, Black can enter on 3 different points in your board. That means they will enter with 27 rolls or 75% of the time. If they enter with 65, 64, 62, 55, 54, 52, 44 or 22 then you will find yourself on the bar. That is 13 rolls or 36% of the time. If Black enters without hitting you, you will still have to escape and get your checker home before Black enters to avoid leaving shots as you come home. Even if you get all your checkers home, you could still leave future shots. Consider the double hitting bar/24* 6/4*: This does leave direct hitting numbers from the bar, but even if you did not hit, those numbers were bad for you anyw