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best move?

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03-28-2010 , 11:01 AM

RealBogart

stranger

Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 7

when you are removing your checkers and the board looks like this:

O . O O O O
O . O O O O
O . O O O O
-------------> goal

what is the best move when you roll 4-4?

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03-28-2010 , 11:35 AM

Robertie

old hand

Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 1,954

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealBogart

when you are removing your checkers and the board looks like this:

O . O O O O
O . O O O O
O . O O O O
-------------> goal

what is the best move when you roll 4-4?

4/off(3) 6/2. 'Checkers off' always wins except in a very few freak positions.

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04-01-2010 , 05:29 PM

DMMx69

old hand

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1,680

Would this answer change depending on your lead (or lag) in pips?

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04-01-2010 , 06:42 PM

TomCowley

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 5,649

You can get situations when you have 4 or 5 men left, and you're better off setting up next turn's doubles vs. bringing the maximum in. If you have guys on the 6542 and your opponent has 111, and you roll 41, you're better off playing 6/2 5/4 than any bear-off because if you get another turn, you could win with 66-44 with the first play and only 66 or 66-55 with the second play (depending on what you did). In the position in the OP, the opponent's checkers are completely irrelevant. 4/off x3 6/2 is never wrong in any pure race.

Last edited by TomCowley; 04-01-2010 at 06:52 PM.

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04-04-2010 , 01:34 PM

Doubledouble1984

centurion

Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 141

I agree that there are times when shifting Checkers is better than taking them off, beginers tend to make to many blunders trying to figure out these positions and are better off just ripping checkers when they can.

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04-04-2010 , 02:02 PM

Robertie

old hand

Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 1,954

Positions where you shift checkers rather than bear a checker off with a single number exist but are incredibly rare. If you can bear a checker off with a 6, 5, or 1, it is always correct to do so. With a 4, 3, or 2, it mat be right to shift checkers to fill gaps rather than bear off.

For some examples and the theory of these positions, see Advanced BG, vol. 2, problems 395-398.

In the real world, just take your checker off and don't worry about it.

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