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BGonline.org Forums
Random thoughts now that the vote is over
Posted By: Timothy Chow In Response To: OLM Mo 12/12/11 (Jason Lee)
Date: Thursday, 15 December 2011, at 2:42 a.m.
It will be interesting to see what the rollout says about this one. I'm not sure that the rule of thumb that "we're behind in the race so we need to keep the back anchor" applies in this sort of position, at least not automatically. The usual reason for this rule of thumb is that when you're behind in the race, you want to stay back so that you can increase your chances of hitting a shot. However, in this position, White has three checkers back already and has no structure. Blue doesn't necessarily need to hit more White checkers to gain ground in the race; trapping and/or attacking White's back checkers looks like the better game plan.
Similarly, I don't think the midpoint is needed for "connectivity." I think of connectivity as a means towards the end of a flexible position that controls a lot of the board. Blue has five checkers back that can largely keep each other company without needing the midpoint as a stepping stone, since White's structure is so weak.
Of course maybe this is all just unfalsifiable nonsense since the main candidate plays are still the same and I don't know what's best. Still, it provides a slightly different perspective on the position. Instead of just counting pips and applying rules of thumb, we're looking at the specific position and trying to judge which play best achieves our goal of controlling maximal territory and keeping White's position awkward, especially her back checkers.
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