It was a nice match, with strong play and at the end a few more complicated backgames which were well-handled (says GNU). Several interesting cube decisions came up; below the 4 cube and potential 8 cube positions I had in mind, plus two bonus positions. All of these positions were I was not sure whether I would have made the same decision as in the match. No RO coming up, no XG and a too slow laptop.
The score (after 3 games) is: Tore_Frederiksen 0, Paul_Weaver 4 (match to 13 points)
Move number 8: Tore_Frederiksen on roll, cube decision?
| Tore_Frederiksen | 144 |
|---|---|
| |
| Paul_Weaver | 137 |
Position ID: Y+bBASGY24kBDA Match ID: MAGgAQAAIAAA | |
• Tore_Frederiksen doubles
I'd have taken this because of the stronger board and lead in the race. It is not like it will be easy to blitz, because any return hits will slow down the attach a lot.
The score (after 4 games) is: Tore_Frederiksen 1, Paul_Weaver 4 (match to 13 points)
Move number 12: Tore_Frederiksen on roll, cube decision?
| Tore_Frederiksen | 152 |
|---|---|
| |
| Paul_Weaver | 136 |
Position ID: 0OcjAyDYZpkBUA Match ID: MAGgARAAIAAA | |
• Tore_Frederiksen doubles
I'd have dropped because of the large difference in board strength and the score.
The score (after 4 games) is: Tore_Frederiksen 1, Paul_Weaver 4 (match to 13 points)
Move number 39: Paul_Weaver on roll, cube decision?
| Tore_Frederiksen | 121 |
|---|---|
| |
| Paul_Weaver | 87 |
Position ID: 2rYGgAPu+AwGAA Match ID: UQmgARAAIAAA | |
• Paul_Weaver doubles
Here I mentally grabbed the cube while watching the match. Feeling the take to be very easy, I believe I would not have cubed OTB, but not sure. The problem is that Tore can jump with one checker into the outfield and generate a lot of shots when Paul needs to break his midpoint, and that it is possible to recube to 8 aggressively...
The score (after 4 games) is: Tore_Frederiksen 1, Paul_Weaver 4 (match to 13 points)
Move number 46: Tore_Frederiksen on roll, cube decision?
| Tore_Frederiksen | 111 |
|---|---|
| |
| Paul_Weaver | 69 |
Position ID: u80ZBADabgMCAw Match ID: AgGgARAAIAAA | |
• Tore_Frederiksen moves 20/12*(2)
Ignore the roll and play (both the roll and play are fine). It is the cube decision before rolling I am after. I don't know whether or not this is technically a recube; if the 2-point would have been covered I'd surely send it over. Now it looks close, I lean to holding it but not sure. There is more live after death (missing) than usual because you are hardly ever going to be cubed out, so I think players would underestimate winning chances here.
The score (after 4 games) is: Tore_Frederiksen 1, Paul_Weaver 4 (match to 13 points)
Move number 48: Tore_Frederiksen to play 14
| Tore_Frederiksen | 118 |
|---|---|
| |
| Paul_Weaver | 77 |
Position ID: u80NABBst8EEQA Match ID: AoGwARAAIAAA | |
• Tore_Frederiksen cannot move
Again, please ignore the roll. Here I'd have recubed to 8. Both sides need a specific number, but Tore rolls first, and at some point Paul would need to open up more points (true he might also joker his 5 point closed). I'd make Tore a small favorite to win the game, he also wins some gammons, and a recube to 8 means that Paul's gammons (and there are quite a lot of them) become near worthless, and the same for recube vig.
Tough decisions all, looking forward to some thoughts and analysis.