Position 431

 How should White play 31 here:

The 3 must be played bar/22*, then you must decide on how to play the 1. The best play that leaves the blot on your 8 point is 6/5:

It is said that you should make the big play when your opponent is on the bar. While this can be true, you still must consider the number of shots Black has from the bar. Here Black will hit you from the bar with 62, 54, 53, 52, 51 and 44. That is 11 rolls or 31% of the time. While the blot on your 8 point gives you a lot more attacking potential if you are missed, the probability of being hit is just too high.

Consider the correct bar/22* 8/7:

You are stacked on your 6 point, but you are not committed to having to tidy up any blots on your side of the board, so you can concentrate on your highest priority – escaping your back checkers before Black improves their prime.

Many times, in backgammon you will have conflicting priorities, sometimes like here just identifying that your highest priority is to get your back checkers moving, will help you identify the correct move.

 

 

Regards

Grant

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Backgammon Learning Center Teacher