2021 - Position 34

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Match Play. Red leads 2-0 to 5. How should Red play 21?

The key here is to hit the White blot on the 9-pt and not the one on the 22-pt.

Hitting on the 9-pt takes away more of White’s timing which could be crucial in causing White’s board to crunch. There is plenty of time for Red’s blot on the 23-pt to escape.

After 10/9*, the best two is the simple 9/7 although 17/15 and 6/4 are very close in terms of equity.

The key to the position is to understand the reason for hitting on the 9-pt.