2021 - Position 81

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Unlimited Games. How should Red play 22?

Purity goes a long way in backgammon. The right idea here is to make the five-point prime with bar/23, 8/4, 6/4.

This puts tremendous pressure on White to roll a six. although a one is also useful.

Any move other than bar/23, 8/4, 6/4 is blunder.

As Kent Goulding said, “put them where you want them”. This is a classic demonstration of that principle.