2024 - Position 15

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Unlimited Games. How should Red play 62?

The two is forced, bar/23*. None of the sixes is attractive. All Red’s points are stripped and so something has to give.

8/2 is the worst of the four and quickly be discounted.

Giving up the mid-point is usually wrong when you still have rear checkers and that is the case here. The mid-point is the key communication channel between front and rear checkers so you should keep it if you can so we can eliminate 13/7.

11/5 puts a checker in a useful place and comes in second place by a whisker.

The best play is the anti-thematic 20/14, running when behind in the race. White has eleven checkers in the zone, but they are not well placed to attack, and Red does best to keep all his other outer-board points.

You did well if you found bar/23*, 20/14.