2023 - Position 174

XGID=a-BBBBB-----bc---ABeBbb---:1:-1:1:44:3:8:0:9:10

Match Play. Red trails 3-8 to 9 (post-Crawford). How should Red play 44?

The anchor on White’s 5-pt should be kept until the forward position is resolved.

Red wants to make his bar-point so needs his checkers bearing on that point. That will be easier than making his ace-point. The easiest way to do that is 18/10(2). On his next move he can move the checker on his 17-pt.

18/14, 18/6 is the second best move but that is still an error as it is a little too loose and doesn’t play accurately to the game plan which is making the bar-point.