Quote:
Originally Posted by cornelius1
Hmmm, I would have said that in position 1 Black has an overwhelming armada of threats with hits and double hits all over the place whereas in position 2 Black has not and rather White hopes to have a threat because maybe the 18 and the 15 blot can't be saved both.
So maybe the problem is that I have a wrong understanding of "threat". Can you recommend a page where the PRAT concepts are explained in more detail so that I can eliminate such misunderstandings?
I must admit that I don't understand your second paragraph: "iota two in the air Bs" ???
Sorry don’t know how that got garbled. Should read “puts two in the air vs. a three point board.”
As far as threats, it is important to realize that threat does not always mean hitting blots, and potentially having blots hit is not always a threat. A threat is really just a move that would significantly decrease your equity if your opponent carries it out. In position 1, even if black hits twice, white still has two blots in blackÂ’s home board. This makes white a favorite to make an anchor, which would stop blackÂ’s blitz and give white reasonable winning chances for the remainder of the game. Black in this position also still has two back checkers. After anchoring white can hit loose fairly aggressively and attempt to attack or prime these stragglers.
In position 2 on the other hand, black has threats that are much more significant. Besides the obvious - making the 2 point with either 64 or 44 (which would also allow black to make the 4 point and would be devastating for white), black has additional threats. 66 would give him a five prime. 52 allows him to either make the 4 point or safety both back checkers. 22 would give him the 4 point plus a broken 5 prime. Any 5 or 2 allow him to clean up one blot. Any three allows him to safety both blots. The lack of back checkers for white to attack or prime is another critical feature. Even if white anchors and survives the blitz, he may still not have much chance of winning.