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BGonline.org Forums
Othello Quiz 2014
Posted By: Timothy Chow In Response To: Othello Quiz 2014 (othello)
Date: Tuesday, 14 October 2014, at 11:53 p.m.
1. 22/13 is an option of course, but the race is close and I'd rather strike first with 11/5*. Then I think that unstacking with 6/3 is better than the routine 8/5, which leaves us rather inflexible. The 5pt will be easy to cover if we are missed while the 3pt won't be so easy to cover if we're missed. 11/5* 6/3
2. Difficult. The natural play is to race with 24/16 since we're ahead in the race. However, it is a triple shot and White is awkwardly stacked and stripped while we have the stronger board. So maybe it's better to hang back and hope that White will blot awkwardly. But how do we do that? Stepping up partway with 24/21 doesn't seem to help because it's the 5 that's the problem; the 3 can usefully be played 8/5. I guess I play 8/5 6/1
3. Another one where I feel very unsure. My first instinct is to play 22/16 to leap the five-prime, since 6's don't grow on trees. But it looks pretty dangerous. What's the ace? 23/22 stepping the other checker up? 6/5* hitting? They both look pretty loose. What's the alternative if we don't jump out? The candidates I see are 23/22 13/7, 23/22 8/2, 13/7 8/7, and 13/7 6/5*. 13/7 6/5* looks too crazy and 8/2 seems too anti-positional. So that means the 6 is 13/7 and do we anchor up or make the bar point? Leaving a double shot is unusual but it feels to me that we have to anchor up. So 23/22 13/7 is my non-jumping play; is it better than the jumping plays? Not sure, but since we're significantly behind in the pip count, I will anchor up. 23/22 13/7
4. I can't see myself playing 8/2 together with either of the legal 3's since we're ahead in the race with the stronger board. So 20/14 and then which 3? Without QF I might miss 4/1 but it looks pretty good since 1's are duplicated and it lessens the sting of White's 44. 20/14 4/1
5. Our timing is bad for a straight backgame, but giving up an anchor seems premature. I think we play this as a two-way game, making a bold bid for a forward win and falling back on a backgame if necessary. What's bold? Hitting 3/2* is bold but I don't think it gains that much even when we're not hit. The priming plays 13/7 or 13/8 11/10 are bold and do seem to gain a lot when we're missed. It looks better to go for the solid five-prime so I'll try 13/7
6. So the obvious play is 13/3* but could that really be right on an Othello quiz? Ahead in the race with a stronger board, Black is looking to jump White's prime I think. But 21/11 leaves White with a whole lot of good hitting rolls. Could it be right to hit and split? It looks pretty scary to leave four blots while leading 2a7a but 3's are duplicated and we do have the stronger board. If I discount my emotions, it looks like the logical play. 21/15 7/3*
7. Very confusing. One could go mad trying to sort through all the options. I will just go with instinct and try to blitz. 7/6 4/3*/1*
8. 13/1*(2) is a candidate but it badly strands the back checkers. I think I run 22/10 and then do I PoH with 7/1*(2) or keep running with 24/18 10/4? I don't know. I'll go with the pure racing attempt since we're ahead in the race, and 7/1*(2) sacrifices a lot of structure. 24/18 22/4
9. Black is far behind in the pip count so my first instinct is to leave the 23pt checker where it is, but then what? A direct application of Magriel's criteria suggests a bold play, but what does that mean? Hitting? Priming? Nothing jumps out as a play that puts my checkers where I want them. Sometimes in anchor-versus-straggler positions like this, the right strategy is to try to use the whole army to contain the back checker. I'll try that here because I don't see anything better. 23/14
10. This is another one where QF helps me (for better or for worse!) to see a play that I might have missed otherwise. The back checkers cannot move and the hit 5/3* is ridiculous so we're just trying to contain the straggler as best as we can. I think we can afford to leave a direct shot (Magriel's criteria again) and the best way to do that seems to be 10/4 6/4
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