Alan Alsop: 9/7, 8/7.Blue could easily move up from the back, as the threat from White is minimal. Moving down helps in threatening to seal White off which is what I would want to do. Why not start now and make the bar point.
John Bakovic: 24/23, 6/4.
Shows the difference in play between one and two checkers back. With two you would make the bar point and go on. But defending with only one check back maximizing indirect shot on your opponent side of the board and diversifying you checker on you side of the board is call for 24/23 - 6/4 does that.
Chuck Bower: 24/21.
What is White going to do next turn? With a stack on the midpoint,bringing a checker or two into the outfield as builders is his mostlikely play. This means Blue's splitting of the back checkers isthe natural pre-emptive move. 24/23 isn't accompanied by an easy2, and 23/21 is comfortable since White hasfew attackers in place. Throw in the better coverage and advantageof possibly making the 21-point in the future and 24/21 is my choice.
Doug Doub: 24/21.
Blue's most pressing need is to do something with his backmen, so 24-23 looks clear. (Making the bar point at the expense of the 8point would barely be an improvement). After playing 24-23, the two logicalchoices with the deuce are 23-21 and 6-4. We do not need five men on our 6point, and a spare on the 4 point would allow us to point on White with 53,make the 2pt with 42, and the 3pt with 61.
However, I have a slight preference for 23-21. White's stack of men on hismidpoint are looking for a place to go, and the major split to the 21ptmakes it more difficult for them. It also starts a much better anchor, andbrings us closer to escaping completely.
Neil Kazaross: 24/23, 6/4.
There are many choices for this 21. First of all we have toexamine the merits of simply making our bar point. While this may be thebest play, it gives up the 8 point and doesn't address the problem of tryingto catch a 2nd checker or doing something with the front loaded home board.Thus I think that the best play here is to split with 24/23 and then play6/4 to create a new builder. Normally playing 6/4 with the 5 point openisn't such a good idea, but here we have 5 men on our 6 point and we createa new builder which can be used to attack White's blot.
George Klitsas: 9/7, 8/7.
I bet that 99% of the players in a chouette would make the bar point in a second. I would play 9/7 8/7 as well.
Laila Leonhardt: 24/23, 13/11.
With 1 checker back, White already has an advantage this early in the game.You want to force exchange of hits, so you can strengthen your position.Sitting tight on the 24 point is going to end the game very quickly.The inflexibility will soon allow White to double and Blue will have topass.
Snowie: 24/23, 6/4.
Splitting the back checkers is clear. I can't give White an easy unstackof his midpoint. I want to prepare to attack White's lone blot or makenew inner board points, so playing 6/4 with the two looks right. My sixpoint is heavy right now, and this play greatly increases the numberof good rolls I have on my side of the board.
Marty Storer: 24/21.
I don't like making the bar point; I'd rather try to use the menon the 8 and 9 to build the 5 point. But slotting the 5 directly seems toobig,especially because there are few duplications. Splitting seems right. Of thethree splitting plays, 24/23 6/4, 24/23 13/11, and 24/21, I pick 24/21. Idon't like stripping the midpoint and leaving four blots on both fronts.Between 24/21 and 24/23 6/4, I'd rather slot for an advanced anchor andcontrol more of White's outfield.
Bob Stringer: 24/23, 13/11.
I like splitting. I makes it easier to run one of the backcheckers and freezes the checkers on White's 8 point. Also, Whitewants to start unstacking his midpoint, and splitting providesadditional indirect coverage of White's outfield. As for playingthe 2, although it strips the midpoint I distinctly prefer 13/11,since moving up to the 21 point gives White something to shoot at,and 6/4, putting 3 men on the 4 point, almost never appeals to meexcept as a way to bide my time when there's nothing better to do.
Casper van der Tak: 24/21.
I might play 9/7 8/7 over the board, but 24/21 must be better with the pile on the midpoint looking for a place to go. Small splits may also be effective against the stripped 8-point, but after 24/23, no other two than 23/21 looks particularly attractive; 13/11 is a bit loose, 6/4 creates a dilly builder. So 24/21.
Kit Woolsey: 24/21.
Making the bar point doesn't feel right. That just creates a temporaryrestraint against White's back checker when I have more important thingsto do. 24/23, 6/4 is a good possibility, but I prefer the major splitto the enemy four point. White has a pile of checkers on his midpointwhich are looking for a place to land, and covering the landing spots inWhite's outer board as well as threatening to make an advanced anchor lookslike the right idea.
Chris Yep: 24/23, 6/4.
24/23 6/4 is the most balanced play in my opinion. White will be eager to unstack his midpoint in order to build, so splitting (24/23) gives Blue more indirect shots in the outfield. At the same time, splitting is not yet too dangerous for Blue. On the other side of the board, 6/4 looks best as it unstacks the heavy 6 point. 13/11 is also possible as it brings down another builder but has the drawback of stripping the midpoint. Overall I prefer 24/23 6/4.
Summary: The panel clearly rejected making the bar point in favor ofsplitting the back men. It was the two which was in question, andthe bigger split won out over the builder on the four point. This may bea reasonable ppicture of the truth.
