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BGonline.org Forums
DQ 1: Magriel bold?
Posted By: Sam Pottle In Response To: DQ 1: Magriel bold? (leobueno)
Date: Tuesday, 5 August 2025, at 12:42 a.m.
Magriel's safe vs. bold criteria include whether you have an advanced anchor, not any anchor. They do not include the race! They *do* include relative inner board strength.
So Blue has more men back, a weaker board, and no advanced anchor. This suggests leaning toward a safe play. But here's the thing: Blue doesn't have a safe play! Blue's "safest" play is 23/14, and it leaves fourteen shots. The loose hit 13/4* leaves eighteen shots, so it's not a whole lot bolder. And you get a lot for those extra four return shots.
23/14 doesn't accomplish much. It partially escapes a back checker. [Always run the third-to-last checker, said no one ever.] It gives Blue double coverage of their outer board for a turn. That's about it.
13/4* is good for all the usual reasons that plays like 13/4* are good: it fights for the most important point on Blue's side of the board, knocks White from the edge of Blue's proto-prime, gains a tempo, etc.
Here's a thought experiment: suppose your choice was between running all the way to the midpoint (leaving no shot), and making this loose hit but somehow leaving only four return shots. The loose hit would be way better, because four shots is a tiny price to pay for all the good things that 13/4* is trying to do.
That's similar to Blue's actual situation! Blue must leave at least fourteen shots whatever play they make, so the alternatives should be measured against that baseline. 13/4* does a lot of good things for the low low price of only four additional shots.
tl;dr: When weighing safe vs. bold criteria, pay attention to how safe your "safe" play is.
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