On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 2:51:30 PM UTC+1, Stick Rice wrote:

On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 9:35:13 AM UTC-4, Timothy Chow wrote:

XGID=aBB--BB-A-a-eD---b-db---B-:0:0:1:00:0:0:0:0:10

Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
| X O | | O O X |
| X O | | O O X |
| X | | O |
| X | | O |
| | | |
| |BAR| |
| O | O | |
| O | | |
| O | | |
| O | | X X X X |
| O O X | | X X X X |
+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
Pip count X: 136 O: 155 X-O: 0-0
Cube: 1
X on roll, cube action

---
Tim Chow

There are immediately 15 amazing numbers and in the remaining 21 games he'll dance about 9 times (making any number you rolled the previous turn dandy). So 24 games you're happy as a pig in shit, the rest of the games you're still doing just fine.

Seems pretty clear to me.

After a quick google, this post seems totally inaccurate. Pigs wallow in mud for various good and googlable reasons.
They are mammals just like we are, and they are averse to shit just like we are. Of course, domesticated pigs
may have behaviours that are unnatural because of being exploited by humans. (As a meat-eater, I'm one of the exploiters).

With regard to the play, thanks for immediately stating that the answer to Tim's quiz is D/P only 15 minutes (approx) after
Tim's post, before anyone else has had a chance to think about it. Not all of us are Waltish.

I certainly knew it was a double. I'm not sure whether I would have found the pass or not, but I hope so.
I think a reasonable reference position (or position type) is where, from the opening position, X splits with 62/63/64,
O rolls 55, and X dances. These are very marginal between D/P and D/T. If our position is better than these, it's a pass.
If our position is worse than these, it's a take.

Compared to these reference positions, our board is far stronger but, on the other hand, we have far fewer shots at the other blot.
But also, the reference positions give us two blots to aim at rather than just one.
So the fact that this is D/P tells us that the stronger board here is more important than the increased blottiness in the reference positions.
Not sure if I would have realised that or not (and it doesn't much matter). But I know now.

Paul

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 6:59:16 AM UTC-4, peps...@gmail.com wrote:

On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 2:51:30 PM UTC+1, Stick Rice wrote:

On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 9:35:13 AM UTC-4, Timothy Chow wrote:

XGID=aBB--BB-A-a-eD---b-db---B-:0:0:1:00:0:0:0:0:10

Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
| X O | | O O X |
| X O | | O O X |
| X | | O |
| X | | O |
| | | |
| |BAR| |
| O | O | |
| O | | |
| O | | |
| O | | X X X X |
| O O X | | X X X X |
+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
Pip count X: 136 O: 155 X-O: 0-0
Cube: 1
X on roll, cube action

---
Tim Chow

There are immediately 15 amazing numbers and in the remaining 21 games he'll dance about 9 times (making any number you rolled the previous turn dandy). So 24 games you're happy as a pig in shit, the rest of the games you're still doing just fine.

Seems pretty clear to me.

After a quick google, this post seems totally inaccurate. Pigs wallow in mud for various good and googlable reasons.
They are mammals just like we are, and they are averse to shit just like we are. Of course, domesticated pigs
may have behaviours that are unnatural because of being exploited by humans. (As a meat-eater, I'm one of the exploiters).

With regard to the play, thanks for immediately stating that the answer to Tim's quiz is D/P only 15 minutes (approx) after
Tim's post, before anyone else has had a chance to think about it. Not all of us are Waltish.

I certainly knew it was a double. I'm not sure whether I would have found the pass or not, but I hope so.
I think a reasonable reference position (or position type) is where, from the opening position, X splits with 62/63/64,
O rolls 55, and X dances. These are very marginal between D/P and D/T. If our position is better than these, it's a pass.
If our position is worse than these, it's a take.

Compared to these reference positions, our board is far stronger but, on the other hand, we have far fewer shots at the other blot.
But also, the reference positions give us two blots to aim at rather than just one.
So the fact that this is D/P tells us that the stronger board here is more important than the increased blottiness in the reference positions.
Not sure if I would have realised that or not (and it doesn't much matter). But I know now.

Paul

You can't believe that when I check rgb I look at the time stamp of other people's posts? I get on when I can, answer if I want. I also make a specific effort not to put something quick that the eyes can catch like "DP" in my analysis so there are no
spoilers unless you chose to read my post. It's on you, not me.

Everyone probably knows already as it's pretty common knowledge but in case you don't and you wonder so you don't have to Google "happy as a pig in shit" stems from the less vulgar expression "happy as a pig in mud". Pigs commonly roll around in mud
because they have no sweat glands so this allows them to stay cool. That's the short version anyway.

Stick

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Friday, May 12, 2023 at 4:11:32 AM UTC+1, Stick Rice wrote:

On Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 6:59:16 AM UTC-4, peps...@gmail.com wrote:

On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 2:51:30 PM UTC+1, Stick Rice wrote:

On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 9:35:13 AM UTC-4, Timothy Chow wrote:

XGID=aBB--BB-A-a-eD---b-db---B-:0:0:1:00:0:0:0:0:10

Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
| X O | | O O X |
| X O | | O O X |
| X | | O |
| X | | O |
| | | |
| |BAR| |
| O | O | |
| O | | |
| O | | |
| O | | X X X X |
| O O X | | X X X X |
+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
Pip count X: 136 O: 155 X-O: 0-0
Cube: 1
X on roll, cube action

---
Tim Chow

There are immediately 15 amazing numbers and in the remaining 21 games he'll dance about 9 times (making any number you rolled the previous turn dandy). So 24 games you're happy as a pig in shit, the rest of the games you're still doing just fine.

Seems pretty clear to me.

After a quick google, this post seems totally inaccurate. Pigs wallow in mud for various good and googlable reasons.
They are mammals just like we are, and they are averse to shit just like we are. Of course, domesticated pigs
may have behaviours that are unnatural because of being exploited by humans. (As a meat-eater, I'm one of the exploiters).

With regard to the play, thanks for immediately stating that the answer to Tim's quiz is D/P only 15 minutes (approx) after
Tim's post, before anyone else has had a chance to think about it. Not all of us are Waltish.

I certainly knew it was a double. I'm not sure whether I would have found the pass or not, but I hope so.
I think a reasonable reference position (or position type) is where, from the opening position, X splits with 62/63/64,
O rolls 55, and X dances. These are very marginal between D/P and D/T. If our position is better than these, it's a pass.
If our position is worse than these, it's a take.

Compared to these reference positions, our board is far stronger but, on the other hand, we have far fewer shots at the other blot.
But also, the reference positions give us two blots to aim at rather than just one.
So the fact that this is D/P tells us that the stronger board here is more important than the increased blottiness in the reference positions.
Not sure if I would have realised that or not (and it doesn't much matter). But I know now.

Paul

You can't believe that when I check rgb I look at the time stamp of other people's posts? I get on when I can, answer if I want. I also make a specific effort not to put something quick that the eyes can catch like "DP" in my analysis so there are no

spoilers unless you chose to read my post. It's on you, not me.

Everyone probably knows already as it's pretty common knowledge but in case you don't and you wonder so you don't have to Google "happy as a pig in shit" stems from the less vulgar expression "happy as a pig in mud". Pigs commonly roll around in mud

because they have no sweat glands so this allows them to stay cool. That's the short version anyway.

I had never heard of either the pig-in-mud or pig-in-shit expressions.
Anyway, the reasons pig wallow in mud turn out to be interesting, and there are several of them.

Your point about your post is a reasonable one. I am curious as to whether I would have got this right if you didn't give the answer.
I kind of suspect not, because the fact that we're an underdog to hit immediately weighs quite heavily on me.
But I'll never know whether I would have got it right or not.
But obviously it's not worth worrying about.

Thanks, Stick, for your contributions to this forum and for your services to backgammon more generally.

Paul

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

XGID=b-a-BAC-BA--fD---c-c-A--A-:0:0:1:00:0:0:0:0:10

Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
| X O | | O X X |
| X O | | O |
| X O | | O |
| X | | |
| | | |
| |BAR| |
| 6 | O | |
| O | O | |
| O | | X |
| O X | | X X |
| O X X | | X X X O |
+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
Pip count X: 153 O: 193 X-O: 0-0
Cube: 1
X on roll, cube action

---
Tim Chow

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)