| In the early game, when I have four checkers in the opponent’s inner board, I like to make his 5pt. — Paraphrasal of a statement by Nack Ballard
I think Mochy may have been thinking along these lines when he opted to make his 21pt with this 11. He can speak for himself, but it seems to me that he was more interested in grabbing a high anchor than he was in committing to play a backgame. Granted, it seems odd to then slot the bar point with the final ace, but my sense is that he thought of it as a two-way game plan. If Michy were to miss the double shot, the he would continue building his prime, and go forward. And were Michy to hit, then he could fall back on the backgame.
Mochy’s play was S = Split (23/21, 22/21, 8/7). It’s a whopper, the twelfth-best play overall. According to the rollout below, it is not even the best play that makes the 21pt. The simple
@ = Anchor (24/21, 22/21) earns that honor.
Almost any play that makes the 4pt is better than making the 21pt, and with a roll of 11, there are plenty to choose from. The strongest makes a point on both sides of the board, and then slots the bar point. Second best is to make the 5pt. It’s wrong, but stands out nevertheless as the only play in the top 10 that does not make the 4pt. |
