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Match Play. Red trails 2-3 to 5. Should Red double? If doubled, should White take?
Before computers this would never have posed as a problem, but they have taught us to think more deeply.
If Red is closed out, he will be very likely to lose a gammon and the match. On the other hand, if Red doubles and wins the game he will get to 4-3 (Crawford) and if were he to double and win a gammon he will win the match!
Only a computer can do the necessary calculation and the answer is that Red should double and White should take. In fact, not doubling here is a bad error! Whilst we cannot, as mere humans, do the calculation we can learn the idea and reuse it in future matches.
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