Problem of the Week #26: August 30


Cash game. Center cube. Black on move.




Part (a): Black to play 6-2.




Part (b): Black to play 5-4.

a) 20/14 seems like a must as having a stack of 4 in white's home board seems really inefficient. i prefer 13/11 over 8/6 since the 8 pt is a helpful blocking point, and containing white's last checker is the main priority

20/14 13/11

b) now that white can escape directly, 8/4* seems mandatory. with the 5, i think 20/15 is best as again that 4 stack is ugly and inefficient. 20/15 leaves a lot of shots, but the only other reasonable alternative, 13/8, isn't that safe either and it also breaks the midpoint and does not unstack the 4 stack on the 20 pt.

8/4* 20/15

Well one thing I know is that black actually played 13/5 in position a and white repsonded with a 4-3 leading to position b lol...

Anyway, 13-5 looks a bit nitty and and I would run out with the 6 and bring the deuce down. Whites deuces are death though and maybe we can nit it up for one more roll by playing 13/5. I dunno it seems that the more dynamic play, with the cube still in the middle and gammons not yet activated, is what I would try.

Part B, again, with the cube in the middle, begs for something aggressive to make white perform. I would run out and slam the loose guy with the 4. White now has to perform immediately or we have gained equality at least.

Worth mentioning, by the way, is that I have seen some lagtards ship the cube following plays like 20-14/13-11 in position 1, and also following some of the aggressive tries in postion 2. These types of doubles are usually made when someone is down alot for the session btw.

i don't think cube ownership matters much at all in these 2 positions. obviously it'd be nicer to have the cube, but i think 20/14 13/11 and 8/4* 20/15 would be correct even if white held the cube. white isn't close to doubling after either move by black.

Looks fine to me, although I must admit I first had 13/4* for b). 20/15 8/4* seems better since it keeps the midpoint and unstack the 20 point. It leaves one more blot, but we're already well behind anyway. We have a high anchor and a board as strong as White's, so it's well worth the risk.

Not so much cube ownership but the fact that gammons are not activated yet....and btw white is just one 4 away from a souble in position b and 1 deuce away from a double in position a

Still both of your plays are pretty clear imo.

a) 20/14 13/11 - moves a surplus checker off the 20 point, converting it into a builder and also i bring down from the 13-point for the same reason. if we get hit... no big deal.

b) 20/11 - again taking off a surplus checker off the 20 point and convert it into a building piece.

i mEAN, even if he rolls a 4, black still has a turn to improve his position, so i stand by that cube is basically irrelevant in determining the proper move in these 2 positions.


editLDFCG: im not in the prioopr mindstate so disfregard w/e i gues, but i stand by my original post bvcuz i was sover theneeeeeeeeeeeeee

on a more serious note, not hitting with 8/4* in position B seems ludicrous to me. i mean we are well behind in the race, so the risk of leaving a blot in our home board should be basically irrelevant, especially given we have an advanced anchor, so the chance of getting gammoned doesn;t increase siginifcantly. and i mean, white can escape next rollwith a direct roll, and we already have a 3pt board so the possibility of white bricking on the next roll is quite possible. hitting is a must imo. carryron


edit: plus, if we are able to close out our 4 point, we shouldn;t have much trouble escaping oru back checker s given they are on the 5 pt.

I agree with djk123 here on all accounts. I do think that 13/4* is a good option for b, but still 2nd to 8/4* 20/15. Hitting on b is a must imo.

Agree with most...

a) 20/14 13/11

b) 8/4* 20/15

I know the solution has been posted already but I haven't seen it yet.
I'm just recording my answers here so I can review them:

a) The safe play seems wrong as we are way behind in pips. We really need to make the bar point. I'm going with 20/14, 13/11

b) I have no idea what to do here.
I go with 8/6, 8/2 and hope to get a hit next turn.

Whoops, I didn't realize that part b was a different roll. Forget about it.