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DQ ("Donkey Question") cover, hit something or what?

Posted By: Daniel Murphy
Date: Wednesday, 3 October 2012, at 7:51 p.m.

In Response To: DQ ("Donkey Question") cover, hit something or what? (leobueno)

When you reach this position through play, instead of it being posed out of context as a problem, you should already be thinking of the features of the position and what you would like to do about them before you roll. Here, to name some features, you have (a) the 18 point blot (b) the ace point blot (c) the attackable 9 and 4 points, (d) a three-prime to improve upon, (e) a racing lead with which you wouldn't mind if your roll did nothing but safety the blot on the 18 point, and (f) the inferior home board. Having rolled 4-2,

* the blot on the 18 point is a problem but moving it leaves no good 4 or 2. So it doesn't move.

* the blot on the ace point is a problem and there's a play that deals with that: 7/1.

* there's the double hit play 8/4*/2*, but what does that accomplish, with a one point board, two home board blots, and Opponent's three point board? Way too loose. 13/9* 6/4* has the same problem.

* there are no other reasonable plays that don't hit, and there are two points that can be attacked, the 4 point and the 9 point. If we attack the 4 point, only 8/4* 6/4 makes any sense (since we've already discarded 8/4*/2*). If we attack the 9 point, 13/9*/7 has to be inferior to 13/9* 11/9 since the latter play makes a nice 4 point prime and the extra blot on the 11 hardly matters, since only 5-6 hits it and 6s would hit anyway. White's a big favorite to enter after 8/4* 6/4 and after 13/9* 11/9. If White enters with a nonhitting number neither play may be a lot better, but if White if enters with a hitting number 13/9* 11/9 is surely better, since the four prime is solid and there's no vulnerable 8 point blot.

So my choice comes down to 7/1 or 13/9* 11/9. 7/1 has one very clear advantage: it leaves only one blot instead of four. But it also leaves few ways to improve, doesn't gain in the race or send a third checker back, and puts a second checker out of play. 13/9* 11/9 also looks positionally strong although more blotty and volatile. All in all I'd play 13/9* 11/9, noting that I don't care much for putting a second checker on the ace point, 7/1 seems too flat, 9*(2) seems like the play more likely to get us to a cube, and the four prime is strong enough to make up for leaving three extra blots.

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