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When to run the last checker

Posted By: Stick
Date: Monday, 26 January 2009, at 1:04 p.m.

Since nobody ever answered Tad Bright's post asking for criteria on when to run the last checker I thought I'd play a few games forcing the "should I run the last checker" issue to come up. These are by no means the best examples out there, I just played a money game session and copied & pasted them as they came up. I also won't be rolling any of these out so if you're unsure of one or another roll it yourself.

People were waiting for Sam to respond but it seems his slacker ass hasn't been around the last few days, he'll be rightly fired next time I see him for not pulling his weight. His 'law', referred to as (Sam) Pottle's law states:

Always run the last checker.

[btw Tom Keith, Pottle's law isn't listed in your glossary]

Of course this is overdoing it just like the maxim "always hit" is overdoing it, but on the whole, these will be correct far more than not. To alter Pottle's law into a more workable adage I'd suggest

Always run the last checker unless there's a very constructive play elsewhere on the board

I didn't like the criteria Tad pulled from some site trying to apply it to running the last checker. Often it can be correct to run out into a double shot, a triple shot, or even a quadruple shot with the last man.

The reason running the last checker is correct more often than not is that when you have 14 checkers working offensively your key weakness is the abandoned back checker. If you get him connected to the rest of your force your game will be very strong. This assumes the opponent still has 1 or more checkers back and that you aren't running out into a completely hopeless race of course. It should be noted that running out with the last checker is still often correct even when down in the race if your opponent has men still to extricate, whether they be deep in your home board or anchored up. This is again because 15 checkers working in unison to pressure any remaining checkers is a winning game plan.

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Messages In This Thread

• When to run the last checker
  Stick -- Monday, 26 January 2009, at 1:04 p.m.
  • When to run the last checker
    David Rockwell -- Monday, 26 January 2009, at 5:08 p.m.
  • When to run the last checker
    Matt Cohn-Geier -- Monday, 26 January 2009, at 7:52 p.m.
  • Thank you, Stick!
    Tad Bright -- Monday, 26 January 2009, at 7:55 p.m.
  • When to run the last checker
    Rich Munitz -- Monday, 26 January 2009, at 9:07 p.m.
  • Always, of course.
    Sam Pottle -- Tuesday, 27 January 2009, at 3:20 a.m.
  • When to run the last checker
    Frank_N_Stein -- Tuesday, 27 January 2009, at 2:50 p.m.