Position 409

 How should White play 52 here:

You are in a really bad way here, but you need to not panic, and make the move that will win the most.

Years ago, Oswald Jacoby wrote “the mark of a good player is how he plays his bad rolls”. This is such a position.

You could just play the safe move of 6/1 5/3:

This does leave no blots, but your long-term prospects are bad. You have TMP (Two Many Points), and a semi dead checker on your 3 point.

You have to take a risk to have any chance of winning. You consider only leaving 2 blots by playing 13/6:

This minimises your risk, but if you are not hit, your prospects of improving your situation are not that good. They have improved but not by much.

If you’re going to take a risk, consider 13/8 6/4:

This leaves 3 blots, but if you are missed you should be able to improve your board.

If you are hit, especially if Black only hits 1 blot, you will have a good chance of anchoring or improving your board.

I find the key to these types of positions is to look for duplication. 13/8 6/4 duplicates Black’s 2s and 3s which are great for improving their inner board. Over the board in a tournament, I simply look for the duplication and make the play that maximises the duplication. This will not always be correct, but it is usually not far from being the best move.





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Position 411

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Position 405

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