Cash game, center cube.

White to play 4-2.

If you understood the logic behind our last problem, you should have no trouble with this one, although the two positions belong to different categories. Our last problem was what I call a ‘One Man Back’ position, where the issue was to move up in the board and try to get into a race, or stay back and wait for a better chance later. This position belongs in a category I call ‘Split or Something Else’, where one choice is to split the back checkers and go for an anchor, while the other choice is something different, like making an offensive point, bringing down builders, or just waiting. In this case Play A is splitting with 24/20 13/11, while Play B is to wait with 13/7, gobbling up some of White’s timing in the process.

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