Here is an early game decision that Alexey Askurava had to face while playing Mochy in the Finals of the 2018 World Series in Sochi. Alexey is leading 6-1 /17. He has rolled a 43, and can hit Mochy’s blot, make his five point, or make a broken four prime. How would you play this 43? Let us know in the comments!
Video Below (starts @ 1:11:14)
ANSWER
24/17*
Very often when faced with a decision like this, it is right to hit when it is still relatively early in the game. Here, hitting accomplishes a lot… We gain a lot in the race, we take away black’s chance to easily reclaim his valuable eight point, and we partially escape one of our checkers. When we are not hit back, we will almost always end up with a very strong position, and many of the numbers that do hit will force black off of his anchor in our home board.