A Five-Point Board Is A Nice Thing To Own

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White Blue

TAMI: White's position is a wreck, and even though we can't hit anything now it is likely there are more shots coming. Let's make our 2-point with 8/2 4/2. A five-point board is a nice thing to own when you hit an opponent's blot.

KIT: First, let's examine the overall position. We have by far the stronger board, and positionally we are much better. However, we are way behind in the race. What does that mean we will have to do in order to win this game?

TAMI: It means we are going to have to put White on the bar and keep him there for a while.

KIT: That's right. We have to hit a shot. Our board is already strong. The fifth inner board point would be nice, but it isn't necessary. If we make our 2-point, White isn't under any pressure. He can move comfortably next turn wherever his dice direct, and the best we will have is an indirect shot. All our attackers up front will have been spent, and our army will be divided in two.

TAMI: So we want to spread out our attackers? Even if it means leaving a lot of shots around?

KIT: Take a look at White's board. We aren't concerned about being hit. In fact White won't hit us if he can avoid it. If we play 20/14 8/6, White is under pressure all over the board. We are attacking his outfield blot, and we are also putting pressure on the checker on our 3-point. In addition, the checker on the 14-point controls our outer board, so if White runs the back checker he will be running into a new attacker. It will be nearly impossible for White to play safely next turn.

TAMI: Because we have a much stronger position and are behind in the race we need to go on the offensive now. The only way we are going to win this game is to put White on the bar and keep him there. We cannot afford to give White a chance to consolidate his position. We need to attack now while he is still very weak, and by moving into the outfield we put pressure on the entire board, almost completely ensuring that it will be our game plan we are following and not White's.

CORRECT MOVE: 20/14 8/6