Alan Alsop: 6/4*, 6/1*.As Blue can't achieve anything too good I will go for taking both men off. Hoping this will achieve a result. A pity, Blue is ahead in the running. White's board is not to threatening at the moment. But the other moves hand the initiative to White.
Chuck Bower: 18/11.
White's better board and Blue's race lead mean a blot hittingcontest plays into White's favor. 18/11 leaves 24 shots butmost of Blue's responses after being hit are playable, thanksto the nice distribution of spares. The 18-point is an assetwhen behind in the race but a liability when way ahead, sogiving it up here isn't as bad as it might first appear.
George Klitsas: 11/6, 8/6.
The resulting distribution is worse than it looks, but leaving only 6 indirect shots, looks better than any of the alternatives, who leave at least 11 in all cases. Therefore I prefer 11/6 8/6 .
Snowie: 8/1*.
I have to do something. 18/11 is great if it works, but when White hitsas he will most of the time my back checker will be very lonely.Piling seven checkers on the six point is ugly, and not even completelysafe due to the indirect shots. Hitting both blots could work, but thatleave's White too many returns and I have a lot of cleaning up to do.My compromise play leaves only one direct shot and kicks White off myace point. If White has to enter high I will be able to play behind himwhile waiting for my doubles to run the back men and win the game.
Marty Storer: 6/4*, 6/1*.
18/11 is good if White misses, but if White hits (24/36),there goes most of Blue's advantage. The double hit keeps all assets andgains when White misses, which is 3/36 more likely than after 18/11. Theweenie play 8/1* is O.K. but seems to weaken Blue's position too much,and isn't threatening. Nothing is very satisfactory, and it's not bad totry to attack. If White hits on the 1 point Blue may make the 4 forincreased blocking pressure.
Bob Stringer: 6/4*, 6/1*.
I really bounced back and forth between 8/1* and 6/4*, 6/1* onthis one. The point of 18/11 is to not make the position lessflexible, but it gives White too many shots, and he's in a goodposition to pound on that lone blot. 11/4* isn't much better (ormaybe not better at all), for although it starts a good point, theodds are that the blot is going to be hit at a time when White hasthe better board, and I'm going to end up with either two or threecheckers stranded on his side of the board. Right now the 11 pointis the rough equivalent of a midpoint, and I'd like to keep ituntil I can escape the last two checkers or at least tighten upthe position. 11/6, 8/6 is unbelievably ugly, so enough said aboutthat one. Hitting on the ace point leaves only a single shot, andwhile a checker doesn't especially belong on the ace point at thisstage of the proceedings, I am ahead in the race and 8/1*minimizes the number of White's shots. The problem is that itstrips the 8 point and reduces my flexibility, when I may well getanother awkward roll next time. *If* I could hit White's blot witha checker from the 6 point instead of the 8, I'd feel much betterabout it, with that nice distribution on the 6 through 8 points. Ikeep looking at 8/1* because 6/4*, 6/1* looks like it's just amatter of lashing out when I have the weaker board. However,*every* play except the ugly-and-a-half 11/6, 8/6 leaves a shot.If I'm going to have to re-circulate a checker, I like to do itwith one from the 6 point rather than one from the 8 or 11 point.Also, despite its risks, by putting two of White's men in the air6/4*, 6/1* gives me a chance of making an inner board point. I'dhate both blots to be hit, but even if they are, the rest of mystructure looks just fine. So, with some trepidation because of myweaker board, I'm going for the double hit - a rarity for me.
Casper van der Tak: 6/4*, 6/1*.
Plays focusing on the racing lead may look attractive. 8/1* aims force White forward, so that Blue can dump checkers while waiting for doubles to clear the bar-point. 18/11 aims to clear now, but leaves plenty of shots (24). The trouble with both of these plays is that they leave a lot of work to be done even if they work (if White misses). For example, if White misses after 18/11, Blue still needs to get his last checker safe, and then clear the 11, and then bring his position home. If White misses after 8/1*, Blue still needs to clear the 18 and the 11 point. (Still, this approach looks a lot better than 18/11).
6/1* 6/4* aims to decide the issue once and for all. Unless White hits back (21 shots) or rolls an non-hitting double (33, 55) Blue is well on his way with a successful attack; and if White hits back or rolls 33 or 55, Blue still has a strong position with the bar-point anchor and remaining race lead.
This week's set of problems at Gammonvillage (Quiz Nr. 33) has a problem with a similar theme, where the hit is also right.
Kit Woolsey: 6/4*, 6/1*.
The super-safe play of 11/6, 8/6 looks sick. As long as I'm going to leavea shot, I might as well try to get something for my money with thedouble-hit. This gives me a good chance to get my four point insteadof letting White get it, which would be a big improvement.
Chris Yep: 6/4*, 6/1*.
Blue could make a run for it now (18/11), but it gives White 24 shots and even if missed Blue still has a lot of work to do; he currently only has a 1-point board. Also safetying the remaining checker is not guaranteed. Instead I believe Blue should keep the security of his advanced anchor while he tries to improve his offense. 11/6 8/6 is too ugly to think of - there must be a better play than stripping the 8 point and placing the 7th checker on the 6 point. Of the three remaining plays, 8/1* leaves only 11 shots, but strips the 8 point and leaves Blue with an awkward structure. 11/4* leaves 22 shots (including 6-5), breaks the 11 point, and fails to knock White off Blue's acepoint. That leaves 6/4* 6/1* (my choice). 6/4* 6/1* gives White 23 shots, but has several benefits. It puts two in the air (often strong), fights for a key point (the 4 point), keeps a spare on the 8 point, and keeps the 11 point which is useful since it bears on the open 5 point.
Summary: The panel was willing to take some chances in order tocreate something out of nothing with the double hit. This looks to meto be a sound approach, although admittedly it could backfire badly.
