Don't attack the stack, . Attack the one man back.
Attacking the stack is another opera, but here I have the option to button up (but leave the cursed and beloved ace point with a remaining 12 pip deficit) or attack the OMB. Attacking is the game plan not the actual action - a strategy abandoning the possibility to anchor and thus gaining tempi to attack the lonely blot.
Also staying back for maximum contact. We are trying to block, blitz the lonely blot and shoot at the rest of their army to get maximum chances to catch up in the race.
With 3 against one man back (OMB)
I am 24 pips back - 12 after the roll - Effectively I will be 16 pips back because he will be on roll. I need to hit or to prime his only checker. Both objectives are dubious. The combined chances to hit, to prime or to anchor and play a holding game (waiting a shot or making him waste behind the anchor) plus the chance to catch up with the race by rolling bigger numbers,
Making the 21 and 3 points seems to take care of keeping most game plan options, but is has a tactical shortcoming. Usually one can't efficiently prime a single checker. Priming a single checker means the opponent will prime or hit our 3 laggards with an army of 14 and his smothering grip will make us inefficient on our part of th board.
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