In unlimited games, Blue will certainly sacrifice some gammon and backgammon wins when he opens up the 6pt. I think he will give up even more, however, when White is allowed to enter on the 1pt. After Blue has removed a few checkers, knocking a sniper off the 1pt may not be a possibility. My guess is that the late hits White gets when the 1pt is left open cause Blue to miss more gammons and backgammons than opening the 6pt now. That’s the reason I suggested that the Bagai play should be even stronger in unlimited games. Those gammons represent a lot of equity. I suppose slotting the 1pt now, with the intention to close the board, might be a way to try to maximize backgammon wins. But being hit on the 1pt opens up the possibility that White might anchor there. I still like the Bagai play. Mike | ||||||||||||
