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Answers: Chow's Checkerplay Challenge

Posted By: Timothy Chow
Date: Wednesday, 9 February 2011, at 5:03 p.m.

In Response To: Answers: Chow's Checkerplay Challenge (Turz)

Thank you for the feedback!

Lesson learned: when rolling a 6 behind a 5-prime, I'm an idiot if I don't escape.

Perhaps a more robust lesson is that when you're priming, watch your timing. Although a lead in the race is an asset in most positions, in priming positions the opposite is often true. If you play safe in this position then you put yourself in grave danger of cracking before your opponent does. It's worse for you to break your board here than to get hit. Even if you get closed out, you still have decent chances if you still have a five-point board with 2 or 3 enemy checkers behind it. If your opponent can't escape and starts to crunch, you become the favorite again. However, once your board crunches, you've permanently lost your main asset.

I can't understand yet why 8/3* in position #10 is better than 11/6 despite leaving 13 direct shots.

It's not an easy comparison to make, but at least you should be able to see that 8/3* does gain quite a bit when it works, forcing your opponent back and advancing your own prime, whereas 11/6 is passive and doesn't do much to improve your position. Hitting also gains time for you to escape your back checker, which is your primary strategic goal. Whether this is worth the 13 shots (since getting hit is definitely bad) is a difficult decision.

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