| 159 162 |                         | White money game Blue |
Problem #1 Play Votes ScoreB/21, 16/11 10 100B/16 3 70B/20, 24/20 1 60B/20, 13/9* 0 40
Chuck Bower: B/21, 16/11.
Limiting blots and making points are mundane actions. And sometimes they'reeven right. With a close race, there is no need to overextend with the hit. Blue is not under fire so making the 20-point and leaving two vulnerable blots is overly conservative. Likewise, why leave White 14 shots at a blot on Blue's 11-point when there is a reasonable alternative? 16/11 makes a valuable point, minimizes vulnerability, and leaves the onus on White to improve his position. Seems simple, and might even be best.
Steve Clark: B/16.
I am not a blot counter (I would be but 2 or more blots always lookslike a blizzard of blots to me in any case) but hitting would createmore than enough for me. So I will have to figure out where I want tomake my stand.
On the whole I reject making the 20 point because that leaves twoappealing blots for White to hit. If I make another point, the he onlyhas one good one to aim at. Between making the 11 point and the 16 Isee little to choose, but I think having the 16 point offers somewhatbetter diversification of blocking points. It also offers fewer shots.I will play B-16.
Doug Doub: B/21, 16/11.
It is hard to imagine that hitting and leaving sixblots is the best approach. Even making the defensive 5pt and leaving 2blots looks wrong. B-21, 16-11, makes a nice point and leaves White verylittle to shoot at. If there is doubt, then cleaning up blots and making apoint has to be a reasonable choice.
Ray Fogerlund: B/20, 24/20.
I just make the 5 point. Everything else seemsloose. This looks like the second roll of the game, White can easily miss the double shot and then I will have an advantage. Getting hit will not be a problem.
Ilia Guzei: B/21, 16/11.
This play safeties two blots, covers the outfield, and puts pressure on the White straggler. Making the golden point is too passive, especially with the two blots in the outfield. The hitting play is too loose.
George Klitsas: B/21, 16/11.
By far the worst play, with six (!) blots strewn around, is B/20 13/9*. It's hard to visualize even one two-ply sequence that might gain in the long run, after this play, over the other candidates. All three of them are conceivable. B/16 leaves a direct blot (shot) in the outfield and for that reason, looks clearly inferior to B/21 16/11. I think that making White's five point, with an even game, is a strong play that prevents Blue from being doubled for some time, but Blue is going to lose race ground in all probability. Slightly better is B/21 16/11 [my choice], which makes a valuable outfield point, consolidates the position and leaves no costly, if hit, blots.
Laila Leonhardt: B/21, 16/11.
White has only few builders for his homeboard, so no danger in leave theback checkers split aiming to bring them out and around when possible. The11 point will keep pressure on White to safety his blot and create buildersfor the important 5-point.
Snowie: B/21, 16/11.
There is no reason to leave any shots in the outfield here. The raceis close, and staying ahead in that race is very important The 11 pointis a valuable point anyway, and my back checkers aren't in much danger.
Marty Storer: B/21, 16/11.
Blue consolidates his lead in development and puts the pressureon White to respond. There's no reason to make the 20 or 16 pointand leave many outside shots; Blue would rather take his chanceson 5 numbers to point on the 21 point. Breaking the midpoint tohit creates interesting blot symmetry on the 9 points, and lotsof quaint 4-linkage, but I don't find all that very aesthetic!
Bob Stringer: B/16.
Bar/20, 13/9* makes such a mess of Blue's position that it can't beright. Bar/20, 24/20 isn't unreasonable, but it leaves two blots inthe outfield and seems destined to leave Blue on the defensive.Between the remaining plays, I like making the 16 point. It seems tomake it more difficult for White's checker on the 9 point to escape,and it doesn't commit to one side of the board while the game is stillfluid.
Casper van der Tak: B/21, 16/11.
Blue is 6 pips ahead after the roll. Since the race is close, it makes sense to make sure that White can not gain a lot by sending an advanced checker back - so leave the blots you have to leave as far as possible back. Safety the most pips! This is only a relevant concept if the back checkers are not threatened, and if they are still connected to the rest of the checkers.
An additional bonus of B/21 16/11 is that it makes a useful point.
Second choice is B/16; third choice B/20 24/20, and fourth (of the choices mentioned) B/20 13/9*, which leaves many blots and return hits, and which I do not like at all.
Kit Woolsey: B/16.
Outfield control looks to me to be the most important theme here.It isn't too important if the blot on the 11 point gets hit. Holdingthe 16 point will have a great effect on the rest of the play. This willpermit me to release the checkers on the midpoint for attack purposeswhile still maintaining the necessary outfield control.
Chris Yep: B/21, 16/11.
B/20 13/9*, leaving 6 blots, is too loose, although it might be right if Blue had a significantly stronger board than White. B/20 24/20, giving White good 2s, 4s, and 7s is too passive in my opinion. I believe Blue's two best moves are b/21 16/11 and b/16. Both moves create a useful point, but since the race is currently even, minimizing shots is more important than normal. Thus, I prefer b/21 16/11, which safeties the outfield blots and ensures that any hitting battle will occur on the other side of the board.
Summary: The panel was fairly solid on locking up the 11 point and leaving nodirect shots in the outfield. Makes some sense, but I'm not totallyconviced. Outfield control and keeping all the checkers connected hasto be worth a lot in this position.