51S-54R-31P-63R-41

There are a lot of choice here. The 1 can be played to 22pt, 7pt or 5 pt. The 4, to the 20pt, 9pt, or 4pt. Or the combination can be played to the 18pt.

On the offensive side, I like playing the ace to the 5pt more than to the bar point. That way, Blue would have four builders working on the 4pt and three more targeting the bar point. Playing the ace to the 7pt would also give four builders for the 4pt, but only if one is willing to break the 8pt.

Choosing between the 9pt and the 5pt for the 4, I like the former.

In the 1970s, Magriel and Dwek both wrote about the action play. After an opponent escapes, they advocated a provocative spilt in order to force an exchange of hits. In 2001, Bagai showed that such aggression is often an overreach. Building a board is just as important as provoking the action, particularly if your back checkers are already split. Resplitting checkers that are already split gains only marginally.

Nevertheless, in this position, I would play E (Each) = 24/20 6/5. My second choice is N (Near) = 13/9 6/5. With so many choices, however, my confidence is only medium.

Mike

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