2020 - Position 191

XGID=aa-B-BC-CAb-bB---b-cbAbA--:1:1:1:43:0:0:3:0:10

Money play. How should Red play 43?

Over the board I played 8/1*, wanting to deny my opponent the chance to anchor. On a swift evaluation XG thought that play was an error.

On rollout it turns out that 8/1* is marginally inferior to 21/18, 9/5. The latter play seeks to capitalise on the racing lead while 8/1* is the brute force play. The plays are close enough that you can choose whichever move suits your playing style better. Also don’t forget that Red owns the cube and is hoping to be able to redouble effectively very soon.