DMP

In this position I played 24/22 13/8. My reasoning was simple: split the back checkers and bring another builder to the 8. Why move 6/1* and risk losing all of those pips? Granted red's position is open and getting hit won't mean the end of the game, but what is the main advantage of taking? GNU recommends 24/22 6/1* by 1.5%.

I see this position all the time and do not understand.

Thanks for all the people who have given me advice on the forum.

18 point is almost as important as the 20 point, which he is about 50% to make next turn. Otherwise he is likely to free that backman. If you are the better player there is still more reason to hit, because good chance that otherwise you wind up in a boring noncomplex game.

You're going to hit on the ace-point with all 5s except 5-3, which hits on the 16-point, and 5-1, which hits on the bar-point.

With 6-5, hit two men.
With 5-4 and 5-2, hit and split.

The downside of hitting on the ace-point, as you said, is that you may get hit with an ace and lose ground in the race. Notice, however, that if you leave him alone then 3-1 and 4-1 will make his 5-point, 2-1 and 6-1 will make his bar-point, and 5-1 will make his 18-point. So his aces are pretty good already, and getting hit is just a slight loss rather than a major loss.

The upside of hitting is pretty big:

> 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, and 6-5 go from being very constructive rolls (making the 18-point) to lousy rolls.

> 6-6 goes from a great shot to horrible.

> 4-2 and 5-4 no longer make the 4-point.

> 5-3 no longer makes the 3-point.

In other words, a small loss on some aces weighed against some pretty big upsides on other rolls.

The early part of the game is full of positions where you take a risk of being hit in order to put some pressure on your opponent to stop him from doing things he wants to do. The key is to ask "How useful is this roll for me if I don't hit?" If you can make a strong point instead, then hitting might be a mistake. But most of your 5s are pretty useless here, so hitting becomes the best you can do.

I make these plays in normal circumstances, but at DMP it still seems to me that putting a man on the ace that early is wrong.