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BGonline.org Forums
Switching the gap forward
Posted By: mamabear In Response To: XGR++ RO (neilkaz)
Date: Friday, 17 June 2011, at 12:44 p.m.
As part of my sort-of-ongoing work regarding "Chasing Three Checkers" (I did an article about it at DMP for CJC, published May 2000, plus some occasional noodling since then) I tried out the possibility of shifting the gap forward either to the 3 point (easiest to do a trap play if needed) or the 2 point (better for trapping than the ace, fewer shots at the very end) and found the bots tend to give these plays a close second place. This was true whether the spares were in pretty close or were back in the opponent's outer board. I didn't try any switch-to-the-4 cases.
I like to think the bots are advanced enough now that they won't make errors like failing to slot in front of a 3-anchor if the situation calls for it, but who knows? I also don't know if after you shift the gap, the bot continues with the game plan or simply closes the board at the next opportunity. I didn't pick apart what the bot was doing with the what-ifs. If it turns out they don't understand the game plan, then at least some of those close second place finishes could swing to first place ones. But for now, based on what I saw, I'm going with the simplest approach: don't shift the gap!
Another good question is how close the spares have to be to home before you just give up and cover with any decent covering roll, meaning one that completes the ace without excessive awkwardness.
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