20123 - Position 210

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Match Play. Red trails 4-7 to 9. How should Red play 44?

With those three White checkers on Red’s ace-point building a prime should be the priority.

7/3(2), 6/2(2) doesn’t leave a blot but the 8-pt and the 2-pt can’t be part of the same prime and that is inefficient.

The best play is 8/4(2), 7/3(2). This also gives White some duplication of ones, which he needs to both hit and escape.

Red’s blot on White’s 4-pt is a liability but the priority is to build that prime.

21/13, 7/3(2) wins a few more games and would be the play at DMP but here, because of the score, gammons are very important to Red, so 8/4(2), 7/3(2) must be played.