Chuck Bower: 10/5, 9/3.I don't know if Kit saved the best for last, but I sure didn't.This one looks tough. Hitting may be thematic, but fourblots and oodles of return shots isn't. Ditto for makingthe 8-point. Slotting the 8-point and making the inefficient9-point looks bad, too. Nor can I see putting two buildersdeep in the homeboard. OTOH, one is tolerable since theaccompanying die starts the valuable 5 point, leaves only one blot and 11 shots, and duplicates White's covering 3's. By process of elimination I'm going with 10/5, 9/3.
Doug Doub: 14/9, 14/8.
Hitting on the 2pt with 13-2* would work great if Whitefanned, but I think that four blots is too many for this position. Hittingmight give us the best chance of winning, but it will certainly surrenderthe most gammons.
On the other hand, playing completely safe is too passive. Bringing two mendown from the 14pt gives us good attacking chances without leaving us wideopen if we are hit.
Neil Kazaross: 14/9, 14/8.
Many choices here. First of all, 21/10 asks to be blitzed into nextmonth. Therefore we should play from one of our two midpoints since nearly killing the outfield builders looks wrong (9/3, 10/5 looks hard to follow up with all the strippage) 13/2x looks a bit too loose and leaves many blots to clean up. I think the best choice is to come of the 14 point with both checkers, although 14/9, 10/4 looks close. I vote for 14/9, 14/8 and hope to be missed and then improve next roll.
George Klitsas: 14/9, 14/8.
The main idea here is that Blue must press White to roll well, while both players have inner boards of equal strength and White has also a blot in his inner board. From this aspect, there are only two conceivable plays, in my opinion, namely 14/9 14/8 and 13/2*. After the first, White is hard pressed to roll a six immediately, after the latter, basically a two from the bar. Although 13/2* puts White on the bar, where he can even dance 1/4 of the time, this play leaves too many blots strewn around. A fact that sways me to vote for the more conservative 14/9 14/8.
Snowie: 14/9, 10/4.
I need the right combination of safety and attacking here. My playdoesn't let White hit with the back checker, cleans up blots, makesa potentially important point in my outer board, and brings a builderinto position to attack White's blot if it stays put. Slotting theeight point concedes too much when White hits.
Marty Storer: 14/9, 14/8.
Always Hit, some fool once said, so maybe it'sfoolish to leave White alone. But the blot in White's boarddoesn't seem to recommend 13/2* over the more conservative14/8 14/9. Unfortunately, 13/2* leaves four blots and slotsonly the 2 point, while 14/8 14/9 is purer, leaves only twoblots, and gives better blocking chances as well as someattacking options.
Bob Stringer: 14/9, 14/8.
I have to vacate the 14 point or midpoint sooner or later, so I'lldo it now when there's nothing else constructive to be done. IfWhite misses, I then have a good chance of making the 8 point.Everything else looks too pitiful -- 10/4, 9/4 being no less thanpitiful-and-a-half. 13/2* isn't productive enough since my 5 pointis open. 14/8, 13/8 leaves too many shots. Everything else takescheckers semi-out-of-play by dumping them on my 3 or 4 point. Thatsmacks too much of giving up on my side of the board.
Chris Yep: 14/9, 14/8.
13/2* is too loose, while 10/4 9/4 is too passive (and awkward). Slotting the 5 point (10/5 9/3) looks wrong, since Blue only has one direct cover (and has to strip the 6 point just to make this direct cover). 14/8 13/8 blocks 6s, but leaves 4 blots, 2 direct shots, and gives White too many hit and cover numbers. This leaves 14/9 14/8 and 14/9 10/4. 14/9 14/8 attempts to force the issue next turn, while 14/9 10/4 is more positional. Given White's inner board blot and the significant offensive opportunities that Blue has if White misses (Blue has chances to make the 5, 7, or 8 point), I like 14/9 14/8.
Kit Woolsey: 14/9, 10/4.
I don't want to slot the eight point, since this gives White a chance tohit with the checker he wants to get moving. Getting hit on the 14 pointisn't nearly as bad, since that forces White to break his midpoint andhis back checker is still stuck. Otherwise, my play cleans up blotsmakes an outfield point, and brings in a builder for a later attack. The object here is to attack,not to prime.
Summary: The panel solidly went for slotting the eight point. Idon't see this at all. Getting hit with the fleeing checker is a disaster,and since White has one checker back a priming approach isn't the rightidea anyway.
