| 166 | |
|---|---|
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| 63S-65K-66^-44 | 156 |
Nack: Complex doublets (ones that don't move in pairs), yes -- it takes practice.
Petter: You write that 13/1 13/9, the second best play according to the rollout, would be the the third member of the 1 family, 1.
Nack: Right, that's one choice, though as you imply probably not the best choice.
Petter: Comments and questions:
1. One could assume 13/1 and use D (or 9) for the remaining part of the move. Is D (or 9) acceptable?
Nack: It depends. Strictly speaking, D is 13/9(4), and 13/9 13/1 is ranked too low in the D family to be worth using. OTOH, if you believe that your readers will judge 13/1 sufficiently "clear" for three 4s in the given position, then by assumption D is a good choice.
Note that justification for using D is not just a matter of dismissing 13/9(4), by itself the rejection of which is certainly reasonable in the given position; it's also a matter of dismissing any other play containing 13/9 that is both more D-ish and could be perceived as a move that whoever is playing the game might make, and if such a play exists can you rely on the readers to deduce what you mean?
For example (hypothetically speaking), if 13/9(3) 8/4 is a strong play, the only way you can use a member of the D family for the less D-ish 13/9 13/1 is to grind it all the way out with strict usage. (Don't combine hierarchy and assumption.) But if, say, the only reasonable alternatives (to 13/9 13/1) are 13/5(2) and 13/9(2) 6/2(2), then any reader who knows to use P and N (respectively) for those plays will realize that something's afoot if you use D, and whether he has mentally brought down one or two checkers for the first two 4s, he can deduce that by D you "obviously" mean the only other good play using 13/9, which is 13/9 13/1.
I think "9" is a slightly superior choice to D here, at least on principle. Numerals more often than not signal use of an assumption, and also that the indicated point (9pt in this case) is the final destination for at least one of the checkers. It is less common for D to roam outside the outer board. If the assumption is obvious enough, then fine, use D (if only because two dice digits plus a letter is deemed to be more aesthetic than a string of three digits), but otherwise a numeral provides small additional clues to the reader.
Petter: 2. What about something from the O family? I see three moves which leaves you with three near side points and where half the move is played into the outer board and the other half of the move is played out of the outer board.
All three start with 13/9(2). Then you can play 9/5(2), 8/4(2) or 9/1. Ordering these three plays using the closest-to-6pt convention gives you:
O = 13/5(2)
o = 13/9(2) 8/4(2)
O = 13/9 13/1
Are my thoughts about the O family correct, or am I confused again? :)
Nack: You are right about the first two, but not the third. And there's more. Here is the correct order:
O = 13/5(2)
o = 13/9(2) 8/4(2)
O = 13/9(2) 8/4 7/3
o = 13/9(2) 9/5 8/4
O = 13/9(2) 9/5 7/3
For the 13/9 13/1 move, you cannot classify 9/1 as an outer-to-inner double-portion. It's actually separate portions of 9/5 and 5/1, the last of which (5/1) isn't part of a normal O move -- it doesn't move out of the outer board.
After exhausting the (five) 2:2's, the next group of O plays are 3:1: moving to/within the outer board with three portions and out of the outer board with one portion. So, you may as well forget about the O family for 13/9 13/9/5/1. However, see my notes on N below.
Petter: Of the alternatives mentioned by me above I like D the most. That choice also goes well together with using S for 24/20 13/1.
Nack: Thematic consistency in character selection for candidate plays is an advantage.
Petter: 3. Are there some other alternatives not mentioned above that I should've considered?
Nack: The N family is 2:2 (to/within outer, within inner). Here, that includes only N = 13/9(2) 6/2(2). After the regular 2:2 group, the 1:3 group is next. n = 13/9(2) 8/4 6/2, N = 13/9(2) 7/3 6/2, and n = 13/9 13/1 (followed by the 1:3 plays that retain one fewer point).
By strict usage, therefore, n is proper. However, if you believe your audience will perceive that 13/9 13/1 is a standout over the three N-family plays ordered above it (which you might not judge to be a safe enough bet with the average interpreter unless only three checkers were on the 6pt), regular N works well by assumption.
Cheers,
Nack