These next two positions show an unusual holding game situation, with Black’s board somewhat collapsed while he still has outfield points to clear. As compensation for his messy position, Black is ahead by 35 pips in the race, and as such is a solid favorite no matter how White plays.
(A) Money game, White owns a 2-cube.
White to play 6-4.
(B) Money game, White owns a 2-cube.
White to play 6-4.
The first part of the problem, Diagram A, shows Black with a pile of checkers on his 8-point and White waiting for a shot, with White having a 6-4 to play. Since White is far behind in the race, running isn’t an option; we can therefore rule out any play involving 20/14, despite the clever duplication of threes. Always remember that duplication isn’t an end in itself, just a means to an end.
With running out of the question, we get to the real point of the problem. White needs to work on his board, but what’s the best way?
Ideally, you’d like to slot the key points and then cover later, and in most positions that’s what you’ll do. You need to pay attention, however, to your opponent’s situation. If he’s about to leave a shot, slotting might not be right. If you’ve got a constructive play that doesn’t leave a blot in your board, you might prefer that play to avoid the variation where he leaves a shot, you hit, and he hits back. If you don’t have a good play other than slotting, then you’ll slot anyway, because it may be the only route to winning.
In (A), Black won’t leave a shot for a couple of turns, because he has a couple of spares on his 8-point that he can move. Now you’re free to make the best slotting play available, which is 8/4 combined with 7/1. The alternative 8/4 8/2 looks a little prettier, but costs White a cover number for the 4-point.
In (B), Black is stripped everywhere, which means next turn he’s likely to leave at least an indirect shot as he tries to clear his 14-point. Now White wants to play safe if he can. Fortunately, he has a good safe play: 7/1 5/1, which doesn’t help his prime but does give him a better board. Remember that if White hits a shot, a prime isn’t absolutely necessary to win; it may be sufficient to just keep Black on the bar for a couple of turns while White catches up in the race.
