| 137 127 |                           | White money game Blue |
Problem #3 Play Votes Score15/13*, 8/2* 4 10010/4, 6/4 3 9024/16 2 6015/13*, 11/5 0 4015/13*, 10/4 0 40
Chuck Bower: 15/13*, 8/2*.
24/16 is great when it works and horrible when it fails,which is most of the time. Making the 4-point looks decent,but White sends another Blue checker behind the prime with14 rolls and escapes to Blue's barpoint with 7 more. IfBlue doesn't hit, very few of White's rolls will cause himdiscomfort. After 13/11*, 8/2* seems like the bestcontinuation since it gives White the fewest returns and hasthe best chance of keeping White occupied for a few rolls.Blue could even win some lucky gammons although just theG-threat will increase the pressure sufficiently for Blueto feather into a strong cube. The double hit could blowup in Blue's face, but better to go down in a blaze ofglory, IMO.
George Klitsas: 10/4, 6/4.
If Blue had a spare on the 8 point, 15/13* 8/2* would be more attractive. As it is, with 5 blots strewn around, it would be hardly my choice. I prefer making the four point (10/4 6/4). If my outfield blot is missed and White's back checker is not able to step out soon, I will have decent chances.
Snowie: 15/13*, 8/2*.
Escaping would be nice, but that would leave White too many shots. Let'ssee if I can turn this mess into something decent by hitting two checkers.It will be ugly if White hits back, but otherwise I have some chance ofrunning a successful blitz. If I can keep White on the bar for a while,my back checker should have ample time to escape later. My inner boardis as strong as White's, but he has the better blockade. This argueswell for the blitzing approach.
Marty Storer: 10/4, 6/4.
The alternative is 24/16, which although not winning outrightis very good when White misses. But that's only 11 numbers, 3 of which--66, 55 and 44--are good for racing. The three-blot leap is too gammonish forme. The 4 point is a solid asset with great lasting value. It's strong ifWhite hits and strong if he misses. White's five-prime is very threatening,but probably not enough to force a three-blot desperation play.
Bob Stringer: 24/16.
I haven't a clue, which almost made me play 10/4, 6/4, lifting ablot and making a good point. But I'm forcing myself to be anoptimist. 24/16 is the sort of move which often is good even whenWhite owns his midpoint. Here if White misses (as he does 13times), he has to move his blot on his 12 point to safety and thenmy position starts to look pretty good. I can see reasons for anyof the other moves, but the bottom line is that 24/16 looks likeit offers the best chance of converting this into a winningposition, so I'm closing my eyes and ignoring the downside.
Casper van der Tak: 15/13*, 8/2*.
This buys maximum time to escape the last checker from behind the five-prime. Of course, 24/16 does that directly, but leaves too many shots. 10/4 6/4 is again a pretty play, but fails to take the initiative, and the hits are very costly. And Blue's position does not rate to play well in a priming game, since White already owns the bar. So double hit, and after one or two good sequences present a gammonish cube!
Kit Woolsey: 24/16.
Why not run? Sometimes White misses the double shot, which would begreat. If White hits one of the blots I still will have only oneman back. Other plays risk having two checkers stuck behind White'sfive-prime and will always leave at least one checker back on the24 point.
Chris Yep: 15/13*, 8/2*.
If Blue hits once (15/13*), I definitely believe he should hit again (8/2*). Although it breaks the 8 point and gives Blue more blots, this is more than made up by the fact that it significantly reduces shots and puts a second checker in the air. Blue has 13 checkers on the 11 point or closer, and with a 3.5-point board has good blitz chances. Can Blue do better with 24/16 or 10/4 6/4? These result in much different types of positions, so it's hard to tell for sure, but I still prefer 15/13* 8/2*. While 24/16 escapes a back checker, it gives White 23 hits (all 2s, 3s, and 5-4), while 5s allow White to safety his back checker. In short, 24/16 gives White too many options. 10/4 6/4 suffers from a similar fate. Although it creates the valuable 4 point to form a broken 5-prime, it gives White good 2s and 5s. While it doesn't give White as many shots, it fails to escape the back man, so overall is not much better than 24/16.
Summary: Run, point, or hit? In a close vote, the panel chose thehitting approach. This didn't feel right to me at first, but I cansee the merits of the play. It may well be best.