Chuck Bower: 8/5, 6/5.I find that it doesn't take much coaxing to make the 5-point, even with a nicerace lead as is found here. With two homeboard blots and limited coveringthrows, White is on his heals and needs to be more concerned as an attackeethan an attacker.
Steve Clark: 8/5, 6/5.
I was taught that, when the opponent leaves a bunch of blots, it is time totake a risk and try to make progress. Since we are ahead in the race, oneone way to make progress is to try to escape, 15-11. Unfortunately we arenot very much ahead and this play does not create a very constructiveposition. Even so it might be right.
Another way to make progress is to make our 5 point, now that would beprogress indeed. We give up the 8 point and allow White 2 shots at ourblot, but White has so many single checkers that he risks having 3 or 4 onthe bar unless he devotes his next roll to pairing them up. The more Iwrite about it, the more I like making the 5 point.
Ray Fogerlund: 13/10, 11/10.
Often, I would just make the 5 point, I am sure...But, when you look it over, this play leaves less shots, makes a new point that blocks sixes, and does not allow White to bring an additional cover along with her hitter. Also, mostly, to hit she will have to give up her anchor on my bar point... Fly shot hits would be ill-advised with two blots in her board.
George Klitsas: 13/10, 11/10.
The safe move (6/2) is short-sighted (in all probability Blue will leave blots at a moment when White will have a much stronger board) and must be rejected in favor of a move that will improve Blue's position, at the cost of taking some immediate risks. The best move in my opinion, is 13/10 11/10, putting pressure on White's back checker. White has some good rolls (like 4-4, 2-2, 4-1 and 4-3) and in order to hit with other rolls, he must think twice.
Laila Leonhardt: 13/10, 11/10.
White's home board is still open and with 2 blots, but White is usuallyquickly going to clean up the mess and make a board. Leaving a blot on the11th point has some good positive sides:
1) To hit and make a point in the board White will have to roll a 4 (notdoubles) and break his valuable advance anchor on the bar point, which he isunlikely to do
2) Hit with the back checker on a 7 and leave and a double shot for Bluefrom the bar, which he is also unlikely to do.
So the blot is pretty safe and you have created a priming point (6 away fromWhites back checker) that will function as a landing spot to clear theoutside men as well as potential builders to point on White should he gaintoo much in race within the next few rolls.
Rob Maier: 6/2.
No reason to leave anything, there is plenty of time to roll clearing numbers, or make inside points and attack.
Snowie: 13/10, 11/10.
White has those inner board blots, so this is a good time to try to makesome progress rather than play completely safe with 6/2. The eight pointis almost as important as the five point in this position, therefore it isn'tworth leaving the double-shot to make the five point. The ten point is adefinite asset, since that point blocks White's back checker from runningon sixes. In addition, our follow-up play will probably be reasonablycomfortable.
Marty Storer: 13/10, 11/10.
Blue wants to clear his outsidepoints and get home. 15/11 is possible, but thatgives many hit-cover numbers and forces no concessionsfrom White in return for hitting. The 10 point is asignificant improvement over the 11 point. Leavingthe blot on the 11 gives White far fewer cover numbersthan leaving it on the 15, and White has to break his18 point to hit. The 15 point is a good retarded midpointor extended bar point in case Blue is hit.
Bob Stringer: 13/10, 11/10.
Ahead in the race, but unless I play the ugly 6/2 (and I can't seewhere that leads to anything), nothing is safe. 6/5, 6/3 and 13/9 looklike they give White too many chances to do something good. 15/11 isrisky because if White hits, in the process he also brings downanother builder - and 9 of his rolls hit and cover. I can't bringmyself to strip the 8 point to make the 5 when that leaves a doubleshot, and so I'm left with 13/10, 11/10. Dilettante that I am, I'm notsure that the 10 point is better than the 11 in this position, but I'minclined to think that the two points are close in value since the 10is 6 away from White's back man. Only 5 rolls (4-4, 4-3 and 4-1) aregoing to allow White to hit on the 11, since he can't hit and leave 2blots in his inner board, and so making the 10 point seems to do theleast damage to the position with a roll that is not what I wanted.
Casper van der Tak: 15/11.
I'd try to get home, making use of the mess in White's board to break a point that I will have to break anyway in the near future. Don't know. Do not see much in this position. Why o why do I double positions that I do not understand?!
Kit Woolsey: 13/10, 11/10.
White has two inner board blots, so playing safe isn't a high priority.Making the five point is nice for the long term, but that does leaveWhite free to hit with the checker he wants to move. I think it is betterto make the ten point and concentrate on hemming in White's back checker.The ten point will be easier to clear from later on than the 11 point,and our next play will probably be fairly comfortable.
Chris Yep: 8/5, 6/5.
Blue currently has an inflexible and undeveloped position, but this roll gives him the opportunity to do something about it! Since White only has a 1-point board with two inner board blots, I believe Blue can afford to give up a double shot in order to make a substantial improvement on his side of the board. Note that if White rolls 1-x, in many cases he can't even afford to hit. For example if White rolls 1-3, one of his best 1-x rolls, it's not clear that he should hit. Blue currently enjoys a 16 pip race lead, but if he just passively moves his checkers (e.g. 6/2) it's unlikely that he'll get some safely. After 8/5 6/5 if White misses, Blue's rolls are diversified: he can remake the 8 point with 3s, 5s, and 7s and he can attack White's blot on his 4 point with 2s and 4s.
Summary: It is easy to be brave when your opponent's board is fullof blots, and our panel had no problem taking some chances. The positionaladvance to the ten point was the popular choice, and it looks quite reasonable.
