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To be honest, I would not have considered splitting in these positions until they came up for discussion this week. Compared with the known position 31P-21S-65 (diagrammed on the right), Blue’s structure after opening with 53P in the diagram on the left is much weaker. This should be a red flag that he is less able to withstand being hit after offering a triple shot on the bar point. My guess is that he should run, rather than split.
In the second position, 53P-41S-65 (diagrammed above), White is threatening to do all sorts of good things with the builder on his 9pt when he is left alone. If Blue splits, White will have to change his focus. This could mitigate the danger of spliting. I am not at all sure, but I’ll try the split in this position. Blue will have the extra builder on the 8pt even when he is hit. And when he is missed, he will have the chance to anchor or escape on his next turn. Mike | ||||||||