2024 - Position of the Week 5 Solution

It is just too easy to play 13/10*/4*, 7/4 and put two checkers on the bar. It looks obvious but it isn’t. This an occasion when “two on the bar, better by far” does not hold sway. Red ends up with two blots and a Swiss cheese board. White has no other weaknesses for Red to attack so there is no real tempo gain from the double hit.

The best move is to make the rack (the 6-, 5- and 4-pts) with 8/5(2), 7/4(2)*. Red will win the cube quite often on the next move. 7/4(2)*, 6/3(2) is the second best move. Making the long-term assets with either of these two plays is much stronger than the double hit.

The lesson here is to take your time. The double hit looks clearcut. It is only when to stop to analyse more deeply that making the rack becomes clear. You can see from the rollout that the double hit is nearly a double blunder.