Random3

[Michael]

GNU Backgammon Position ID: 4POwAwLg7QCMGQ
Match ID : cIltAXAAKAAE
[phone]------19-20-21-22-23-24-+ O:
| O O X | | O X X | 7 points
| O O X | | O X X |
| O | | O |
| O | | O |
| | | O |
v| |BAR| | 11 point match (Cube: 1)
| | | |
| | | X |
| O X | | X |
| O X X | | X | Rolled 33
| O X X | | X O | 5 points
[phone]-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+ X:
Pip counts : O 145, X 186

[BlueDice]

Post by Michael
GNU Backgammon Position ID: 4POwAwLg7QCMGQ
Match ID : cIltAXAAKAAE
| O O X | | O X X | 7 points
| O O X | | O X X |
| O | | O |
| O | | O |
| | | O |
v| |BAR| | 11 point match (Cube: 1)
| | | |
| | | X |
| O X | | X |
| O X X | | X | Rolled 33
| O X X | | X O | 5 points
Pip counts : O 145, X 186

Try to contain O's back checker with 8/5*(2) 6/3(2)
--
BD

[Tim Chow]

Post by Michael
GNU Backgammon Position ID: 4POwAwLg7QCMGQ
Match ID : cIltAXAAKAAE
| O O X | | O X X | 7 points
| O O X | | O X X |
| O | | O |
| O | | O |
| | | O |
v| |BAR| | 11 point match (Cube: 1)
| | | |
| | | X |
| O X | | X |
| O X X | | X | Rolled 33
| O X X | | X O | 5 points
Pip counts : O 145, X 186

X is 40 pips down but O has no structure so I see no reason not to attack O's
blot. 8/5*(2) is clear and then the question is whether to make the 3pt by
unstacking 6/3(2) or to make the superior 4pt at the cost of giving up the
bar point. I think that making the 3pt is better since the bar point has
considerable value in this position.

---
Tim Chow

[Walt]

Post by Michael
GNU Backgammon Position ID: 4POwAwLg7QCMGQ
Match ID : cIltAXAAKAAE
| O O X | | O X X | 7 points
| O O X | | O X X |
| O | | O |
| O | | O |
| | | O |
v| |BAR| | 11 point match (Cube: 1)
| | | |
| | | X |
| O X | | X |
| O X X | | X | Rolled 33
| O X X | | X O | 5 points
Pip counts : O 145, X 186

Making the 5 and 4 points while sending her to the roof is too good to
pass up. Maybe make both five points, but my plan would be to make a
three point board and then provoke an exchange of hits.

8/5*(2) 7/4(2)

[Michael]

Post by Michael
GNU Backgammon Position ID: 4POwAwLg7QCMGQ
Match ID : cIltAXAAKAAE
| O O X | | O X X | 7 points
| O O X | | O X X |
| O | | O |
| O | | O |
| | | O |
v| |BAR| | 11 point match (Cube: 1)
| | | |
| | | X |
| O X | | X |
| O X X | | X | Rolled 33
| O X X | | X O | 5 points
Pip counts : O 145, X 186

These positions are often very confusing to me because it's clear X should switch from a backgame plan to a defensive plan and I often don't know how to prepare this defensive plan. 8/5*(2) is trivial, but can we play the other 2 threes using the back checkers? The answer is no because the best defense here is to make our board, while clearly our backcheckers already hold key positions, so moving them now would be wrong. (see variant for an example where moving the backcheckers is correct.)
Then between 6/3(2) and 7/4(2) the former is better because it delivers a better structure with a bonus if O enters at our ace point.

1. Rollout 8/5*(2) 6/3(2) Eq.: +0.11311
50.575 16.678 0.478 - 49.425 12.826 0.468 CL +0.03459 CF +0.11311

2. Rollout 8/5*(2) 7/4(2) Eq.: +0.05503 ( -0.05808)
48.832 16.859 0.455 - 51.168 12.874 0.474 CL +0.00070 CF +0.05503

3. Rollout 18/15(2) 8/5*(2) Eq.: +0.01775 ( -0.09536)
48.695 15.141 0.465 - 51.305 13.292 0.524 CL -0.02780 CF +0.01775

4. Rollout 23/20(2) 8/5*(2) Eq.: -0.03831 ( -0.15142)
47.382 13.041 0.345 - 52.618 11.875 0.278 CL -0.05812 CF -0.03831

Variant
********

GNU Backgammon Position ID: 4POwAwLg7QDgGQ
Match ID : cIltAXAAKAAE
[phone]------19-20-21-22-23-24-+ O: O
| O O | | O X X | 7 points
| O O | | O X X |
| O | | O X |
| O | | O X |
| | | O |
v| |BAR| | 11 point match (Cube: 1)
| | | |
| | | X |
| O X | | X |
| O X X | | X | Rolled 33
| O X X | | X O | 5 points
[phone]-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+ X: X
Pip counts : O 145, X 192


1. Rollout 21/18(2) 8/5*(2) Eq.: -0.16778
45.393 12.734 0.383 - 54.607 15.906 0.681 CL -0.15903 CF -0.16778

2. Rollout 8/5*(2) 6/3(2) Eq.: -0.22137 ( -0.05359)
44.342 12.846 0.440 - 55.658 16.893 0.710 CL -0.19116 CF -0.22137

3. Rollout 21/15 8/5*(2) Eq.: -0.22530 ( -0.05752)
44.523 12.564 0.441 - 55.477 17.448 0.732 CL -0.19886 CF -0.22530

4. Rollout 8/5*(2) 7/4(2) Eq.: -0.26678 ( -0.09900)
42.828 12.602 0.369 - 57.172 16.327 0.629 CL -0.21710 CF -0.26678

5. Rollout 23/20(2) 8/5*(2) Eq.: -0.28780 ( -0.12001)
42.615 10.246 0.285 - 57.385 14.783 0.393 CL -0.22614 CF -0.28780

[Tim Chow]

Post by Michael
These positions are often very confusing to me because it's clear X should
switch from a backgame plan to a defensive plan and I often don't know how
to prepare this defensive plan.

As a first step, I would suggest *not* referring to your new plan as
"a defensive plan." After this roll the position is roughly equal, with
your advantage in structure balancing out your opponent's pip count advantage.
So play to improve your structure. In your original position, making a new
home board point clearly improves your structure more than shuffling your
checkers on the other side of the board. In your variant, unstacking that
heavy point is the way to go, not because it improves your defense but because
it improves your structure. Since the game could go in many directions, the
best way to prepare is to build a structurally sound position.

---
Tim Chow

[Michael]

Post by Tim Chow

Post by Michael
These positions are often very confusing to me because it's clear X should
switch from a backgame plan to a defensive plan and I often don't know how
to prepare this defensive plan.

As a first step, I would suggest *not* referring to your new plan as
"a defensive plan." After this roll the position is roughly equal, with
your advantage in structure balancing out your opponent's pip count advantage.
So play to improve your structure. In your original position, making a new
home board point clearly improves your structure more than shuffling your
checkers on the other side of the board. In your variant, unstacking that
heavy point is the way to go, not because it improves your defense but because
it improves your structure. Since the game could go in many directions, the
best way to prepare is to build a structurally sound position.
---
Tim Chow

I agree to that, the problem is that whatever good structure you get after this roll it's over, I mean what are you going to do next? Surely you have to start moving the back checkers, there's nothing else.

What I actually played here was 18/15(2) 8/5*(2) since I felt the back checkers were suffocating too much and I wanted to improve their mobility, reserving some power for the board.
However it looks that holding the opponent's 7 point is a key position, since after playing it out a few rounds with the bot X continues the game by breaking the 23 point unless it hits somewhere.