6/5 is automatic. Then I like moving up to 22 to escape with sixes and diversifying our numbers for making a really good advanced anchor. The last 1 I like either to go to 21 to make the 21-anchor easier to make or moving the 11 to 10. I think I like the latter more. Works better in my usual aggressive blitsyness thinking.

6/5 24/22 11/10 is my solution.

+1 exactly what I thought when I looked at this.

I think I agree with Bjornar. The 6/5 is automatic, and we do need start looking at escaping our back checkers, and it is likely to start getting a lot harder to do so real soon. Moving to the 21 will almost certainly get hit loose, so I'd probably leave it on the 22 and move 11/10 just like Bjornar.

I do see two other options. One is to make your bar point by advancing the men on the eight point. This isn't bad, but with white only having one man back, that's no longer on her 24 point, it doesn't help a whole lot either. That's why I think advancing one of our back checkers is better. The other option is to play safe with 11/8, but this just removes a builder from play, so once again I'm back to my (Bjornar's) original play.

Grunch.

6/5 seems automatic.
I would also play 11/10 now that the 5-pt is made, so I have a builder for the 4-pt. It is exposed to 1 more roll (4-3, 6-1 vs 4-4, 6-2), so it's well worth the small risk.
Then I would split the back checkers with 24/22 to increase my chances for an advanced anchor. Sure, White can points on us with several rolls (5-5, 4-4, 3-3, 5-4, 5-3, 4-3 = 9 rolls), but it will get more dangerous if we wait.
At that point, I don't think that the bar has more value than the 8-pt.

24/22 11/10 6/5

Covering the 5 might be right but it's not automatic here. White has a huge collection of builders plus a stripped midpoint, so his position plays very well if he's got his whole roll, but it's awkward if he has to come in from the bar. Something like 5/3* 24/22 exploits this.

Over the board and on autopilot I'm pretty sure I'd play 6/5 24/21, but the hit and split could well be right.

I'm not saying your autopilot play is a blunder as I haven't done the rollouts yet but someone should write a BG book called "Autopilot Blunders" !

Any takers Bill? :-)

P.S. I made Snowie's fiirst choice OTB

OK, OK, I'll do it. I've even go my first sentence written: "I'm not that great at backgammon, but I can totally smash GnuBG in tutor mode! Read on to learn more..."

Valid points indeed. I didn't see this at all but it is obviously worth considering.

Very nice!

Editing to add that my thoughts were the same as Brojnar's.

Oh man, that sounds great. Let me know when the book comes out -- I'm pretty sure I'm in the target demographic (still wanting to smash GnuBG in tutor mode).

Gruuuuunch

Villain is threatening to run with big numbers and make inner board points with small ones....need to knock him off balance.

hit/24-22

Man.. a zillion choices here that aren't absurd. What's the plan? Our position seems to suck more than it appears. We're down 20 pips after the roll, our structure stinks (points on the 2 and 8, lol), and he's likely to get to the bearoff cleanly with one decent roll. I don't see why we're trying to escape a man here. The race is just bad unless we can trap a man back. There are 2 ways to do that- trap the one that's there already, or make him play half a roll slotting his home board. And if we fail to do that, what do we want? If we have to plan an anchor game, anything is better than the 1.

Making the 5 seems kind of dull. It just doesn't seem to do anything for the upcoming battle. If it turns into an anchor game, we have 123 turns to make the 5. Hitting stops him from making a new point unless he enters with doubles. It also leads to combos where he has to enter and then leave a man loose. So I really want to play 5/3*. Then the question IMO is 24/23 11/10, 24/22, or 24/23(2). I'd love the better anchor if I can get there, but the difference between the 2 and the 3 seems miniscule compared to the damage of getting blitzed when he rolls well. 24/22 is the worst IMO, but 24/23 is harder to blitz and gives chances to make the 4 when we get hit back. I dunno. I don't want to get blitzed, so I'd say 24/23 (2) 5/3*. Maybe it's 24/22 (2) to just grab the better anchor outright and play from there, or maybe it's 24/23 11/10 to give extra chances of making the 4. I don't know. But I really think covering the 5 and trying to run is a plan that doesn't fit the position.