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Apply safe vs. bold criteria?

Posted By: Adam Torkelson
Date: Thursday, 17 January 2013, at 3:05 a.m.

In Response To: Apply safe vs. bold criteria? (Mr Majestyk)

I disagree with making the 23 point. Not only for the reasons I gave in my intial answer, but also because (as I heard John Clark once say) "you are priming YOURSELF".

I regularly play Bill Riles in person (we are practically neighbors) and he has helped me improve my game immensely when these positions come up. The knee-jerk reaction when white keeps getting checkers in the zone is to anchor up. I used to anchor up in this situation all the time. But the better game plan is to escape ASAP or get an *advanced* anchor.

An anchor on the 23 point is not advanced. Magriel states 21, 20, and 19 are the advanced anchors (it is very difficult to prime them and they threaten the outer board).

Bill taught me to resist the low anchor temptation. If you anchor low now, then you can only make the 21 advanced anchor with a double 2. Stay split, and you can make it with 3-2 and 2-3. If white makes the 21 point next turn, then if you previously made the 23 point, you can only make the 18 point or midpoint with double five. Stay split and you can make it with 6-5 and 5-6. Further, (if white makes the 21 point and you have a 23 point anchor) you could only escape one checker with any 5. Stay split, and you can escape one checker with any 5 or 6.

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