2022 - Position 20

XGID=-a-B-BDAB-B-a-a---bcc-bBb-:1:-1:1:43:0:0:3:0:10

Unlimited Games. How should Red play 43?

Over the board the natural-looking 8/4, 7/4 was played but this seemingly ‘obvious’ move is worse than a double blunder!

Red should be seeking to stop White’s last rear checker from escaping. A blitz is a possibility, but the main game plan is priming. When your opponent has only one rear checker the bar-point often takes precedence over inner board points. Therefore 10/7 is the ‘forced’ three.

After that 10/6 is too stiff and so the logical play is 6/2. Even if the blot is hit White won’t be at the edge of Red’s broken prime and meanwhile Red keeps a potentially useful six for next turn with the blot on the 10-pt.

10/7, 10/6 is a bad error.