[ View Thread ] [ Post Response ] [ Return to Index ] [ Read Prev Msg ] [ Read Next Msg ]

BGonline.org Forums

Thirteen-Checker-Off Cube Action

Posted By: Timothy Chow
Date: Saturday, 10 April 2010, at 3:53 a.m.

In Response To: Thirteen-Checker-Off Cube Action (David Rockwell)

David Rockwell wrote:

Yes - as Neil said, no one is going to play this one adequately.

That's not quite what Neil said...he said that most people will not play this one well enough.

Having spent some time studying this one, I agree that the checker-play is complex and I certainly haven't mastered it, but I also don't believe that it's out of reach. It's mostly the first couple of rolls that are tricky. After that, the position is likely to clarify. If the defender bears off enough checkers then he just needs to play safe. Or if the checker on the bar escapes without hitting then it's basically a race. Of course, if there's a hit or an exchange of hits then things can get complicated, but even if you make some mistakes in these variations, I don't think your equity in the initial position will suffer excessively. (If the attacker has two checkers bouncing around the board then he will make mistakes too.) Mostly it's knowing how to play the first few rolls. Rollouts for these positions go much faster than for the openings.

I think the effort required to master this position is less than the effort required to master the first three rolls of the game. A lot of work but not out of reach if you set your mind to it. The study also pays dividends because similar positions come up all the time at the end of the game.

Messages In This Thread

 

Post Response
Your Name:
Your E-Mail Address:
Subject:
Message:

If necessary, enter your password below:

Password:
 

 

[ View Thread ] [ Post Response ] [ Return to Index ] [ Read Prev Msg ] [ Read Next Msg ]

BGonline.org Forums is maintained by Stick with WebBBS 5.12.