• Five point board or five point prime?

    From ah....Clem@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jun 14 11:42:14 2023
    XGID=--bBCBBB--a-bC---b-cbbaA--:1:-1:1:33:0:0:3:0:10

    X:Player 1 O:Player 2
    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game, Jacoby Beaver
    +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O O O O X | +---+
    | X O | | O O O | | 2 |
    | X | | O | +---+
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X X X X O |
    | O O X | | X X X X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 116 O: 142 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 2, O own cube
    X to play 33




    --
    Ah....Clem
    The future is fun, the future is fair.
    --
    Ah....Clem
    The future is fun, the future is fair.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Timothy Chow@21:1/5 to ah....Clem on Wed Jun 14 21:00:04 2023
    On 6/14/2023 11:42 AM, ah....Clem wrote:


    XGID=--bBCBBB--a-bC---b-cbbaA--:1:-1:1:33:0:0:3:0:10

    X:Player 1   O:Player 2
    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game, Jacoby Beaver
     +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
     | X           O    |   | O  O  O  O  X    | +---+
     | X           O    |   | O  O  O          | | 2 |
     | X                |   | O                | +---+
     |                  |   |                  |
     |                  |   |                  |
     |                  |BAR|                  |
     |                  |   |                  |
     |                  |   |                  |
     |                  |   |       X          |
     | O              X |   | X  X  X  X  O    |
     | O     O        X |   | X  X  X  X  O    |
     +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count  X: 116  O: 142 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 2, O own cube
    X to play 33

    I think I'd keep my five-prime. We still have a straggler that could
    get into trouble, and if that happens, then I don't want O to be able
    to turn the game around by jumping her back checkers over our four-prime
    while we're dancing. With our five-prime, even if O enters, we retain
    a solid grip over the position, with plenty of gammon chances.

    There's still a question of what play to make. Maybe there's something cleverer than 13/10*(3) 10/7, but I don't see it, so that's my play.

    ---
    Tim Chow

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  • From pepstein5@gmail.com@21:1/5 to Timothy Chow on Thu Jun 15 10:52:56 2023
    On Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 2:00:07 AM UTC+1, Timothy Chow wrote:
    On 6/14/2023 11:42 AM, ah....Clem wrote:


    XGID=--bBCBBB--a-bC---b-cbbaA--:1:-1:1:33:0:0:3:0:10

    X:Player 1 O:Player 2
    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game, Jacoby Beaver
    +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O O O O X | +---+
    | X O | | O O O | | 2 |
    | X | | O | +---+
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X X X X O |
    | O O X | | X X X X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 116 O: 142 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 2, O own cube
    X to play 33
    I think I'd keep my five-prime. We still have a straggler that could
    get into trouble, and if that happens, then I don't want O to be able
    to turn the game around by jumping her back checkers over our four-prime while we're dancing. With our five-prime, even if O enters, we retain
    a solid grip over the position, with plenty of gammon chances.

    There's still a question of what play to make. Maybe there's something cleverer than 13/10*(3) 10/7, but I don't see it, so that's my play.


    I think we should hit and also play aggressively to hit the opponent's inner board blot
    13/10* 7/1 4/1

    Let's skip to the good bit!

    Paul

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  • From ah....Clem@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jun 16 18:42:41 2023
    Tim and I had substantially similar ideas about this play. I wrote:

    Attack or prime? And since we're stuck behind a prime too, timing is an
    issue. Making a five point board with one on the bar looks very strong,
    but we have to give up the bar point to do so. I like the looks of
    hitting and keeping the bar point - she is then favored to enter and
    have three stuck behind a solid five prime which makes it more likely
    that her blockade will weaken. If once she enters can leap the blockade
    with a 5 or 6 we might be stuck behind her blockade for too long. So,
    13/10*(2) 13/7 for me.

    The idea is to put her on the roof, have her enter and be stuck behind
    our blockade while hers deteriorates. Whether that's going to work
    remains to be seen.

    Alas, XG begs to differ, and prefers making the ace point after hitting
    by .053.

    Why is that better? Neilkaz offered the terse opinion that he liked
    making the ace point "...for more gammons and noting that XG can't
    improve her board while dancing." Both plays win about the same number
    of games, but making the ace wins more gammons.

    Another commenter observed that after 13/10* 7/1 4/1 fives are
    duplicated. I'm skeptical of that since it's only 52 that's duped not
    the usual eleven or so fives. But in the variant, where I've moved O's
    checkers on the 17 back to the 16 to eliminate the duplication keeping
    the prime comes out very slightly better.




    XGID=--bBCBBB--a-bC---b-cbbaA--:1:-1:1:33:0:0:3:0:10

    X:Player 1 O:Player 2
    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game, Jacoby Beaver
    +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O O O O X | +---+
    | X O | | O O O | | 2 |
    | X | | O | +---+
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X X X X O |
    | O O X | | X X X X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 116 O: 142 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 2, O own cube
    X to play 33

    1. Rollout¹ 13/10* 7/1 4/1 eq:+0.600
    Player: 68.61% (G:39.56% B:1.92%)
    Opponent: 31.39% (G:5.11% B:0.22%)
    Confidence: ±0.009 (+0.591..+0.610) - [100.0%]
    Duration: 3 minutes 58 seconds

    2. Rollout¹ 13/10*(3) 10/7 eq:+0.548 (-0.053)
    Player: 68.36% (G:33.62% B:2.19%)
    Opponent: 31.64% (G:4.24% B:0.17%)
    Confidence: ±0.010 (+0.538..+0.558) - [0.0%]
    Duration: 3 minutes 55 seconds

    ¹ 1296 Games rolled with Variance Reduction.
    Moves: 3-ply, cube decisions: XG Roller

    eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.10



    /////////////////////////
    // variant
    /////////////////////////


    XGID=--bBCBBB--a-bC--b--cbbaA--:1:-1:1:33:0:0:3:0:10

    X:Player 1 O:Player 2
    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game, Jacoby Beaver
    +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O O O O X | +---+
    | X O | | O O O | | 2 |
    | X | | O | +---+
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X X X X O |
    | O O X | | X X X X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 116 O: 144 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 2, O own cube
    X to play 33

    1. Rollout¹ 13/10*(3) 10/7 eq:+0.660
    Player: 73.08% (G:32.62% B:1.90%)
    Opponent: 26.92% (G:3.12% B:0.13%)
    Confidence: ±0.009 (+0.651..+0.668) - [98.5%]
    Duration: 4 minutes 36 seconds

    2. Rollout¹ 13/10* 7/1 4/1 eq:+0.646 (-0.013)
    Player: 70.90% (G:38.04% B:1.77%)
    Opponent: 29.10% (G:4.43% B:0.18%)
    Confidence: ±0.009 (+0.638..+0.655) - [1.5%]
    Duration: 4 minutes 44 seconds


    ¹ 1296 Games rolled with Variance Reduction.
    Moves: 3-ply, cube decisions: XG Roller


    eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.10


    --
    Ah....Clem
    The future is fun, the future is fair.



    --
    Ah....Clem
    The future is fun, the future is fair.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From pepstein5@gmail.com@21:1/5 to ah....Clem on Mon Jun 19 04:37:40 2023
    On Friday, June 16, 2023 at 11:42:41 PM UTC+1, ah....Clem wrote:
    Tim and I had substantially similar ideas about this play. I wrote:

    Attack or prime? And since we're stuck behind a prime too, timing is an issue. Making a five point board with one on the bar looks very strong,
    but we have to give up the bar point to do so. I like the looks of
    hitting and keeping the bar point - she is then favored to enter and
    have three stuck behind a solid five prime which makes it more likely
    that her blockade will weaken. If once she enters can leap the blockade
    with a 5 or 6 we might be stuck behind her blockade for too long. So, 13/10*(2) 13/7 for me.

    The idea is to put her on the roof, have her enter and be stuck behind
    our blockade while hers deteriorates. Whether that's going to work
    remains to be seen.

    Alas, XG begs to differ, and prefers making the ace point after hitting
    by .053.

    Why is that better? Neilkaz offered the terse opinion that he liked
    making the ace point "...for more gammons and noting that XG can't
    improve her board while dancing." Both plays win about the same number
    of games, but making the ace wins more gammons.

    Another commenter observed that after 13/10* 7/1 4/1 fives are
    duplicated. I'm skeptical of that since it's only 52 that's duped not
    the usual eleven or so fives. But in the variant, where I've moved O's checkers on the 17 back to the 16 to eliminate the duplication keeping
    the prime comes out very slightly better. XGID=--bBCBBB--a-bC---b-cbbaA--:1:-1:1:33:0:0:3:0:10

    X:Player 1 O:Player 2
    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game, Jacoby Beaver +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O O O O X | +---+
    | X O | | O O O | | 2 |
    | X | | O | +---+
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X X X X O |
    | O O X | | X X X X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 116 O: 142 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 2, O own cube
    X to play 33
    1. Rollout¹ 13/10* 7/1 4/1 eq:+0.600
    Player: 68.61% (G:39.56% B:1.92%)
    Opponent: 31.39% (G:5.11% B:0.22%)
    Confidence: ±0.009 (+0.591..+0.610) - [100.0%]
    Duration: 3 minutes 58 seconds

    2. Rollout¹ 13/10*(3) 10/7 eq:+0.548 (-0.053)
    Player: 68.36% (G:33.62% B:2.19%)
    Opponent: 31.64% (G:4.24% B:0.17%)
    Confidence: ±0.010 (+0.538..+0.558) - [0.0%]
    Duration: 3 minutes 55 seconds

    ¹ 1296 Games rolled with Variance Reduction.
    Moves: 3-ply, cube decisions: XG Roller

    eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.10



    /////////////////////////
    // variant
    /////////////////////////


    XGID=--bBCBBB--a-bC--b--cbbaA--:1:-1:1:33:0:0:3:0:10
    X:Player 1 O:Player 2
    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game, Jacoby Beaver +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O O O O X | +---+
    | X O | | O O O | | 2 |
    | X | | O | +---+
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X X X X O |
    | O O X | | X X X X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 116 O: 144 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 2, O own cube
    X to play 33
    1. Rollout¹ 13/10*(3) 10/7 eq:+0.660
    Player: 73.08% (G:32.62% B:1.90%)
    Opponent: 26.92% (G:3.12% B:0.13%)
    Confidence: ±0.009 (+0.651..+0.668) - [98.5%]
    Duration: 4 minutes 36 seconds

    2. Rollout¹ 13/10* 7/1 4/1 eq:+0.646 (-0.013)
    Player: 70.90% (G:38.04% B:1.77%)
    Opponent: 29.10% (G:4.43% B:0.18%)
    Confidence: ±0.009 (+0.638..+0.655) - [1.5%]
    Duration: 4 minutes 44 seconds


    ¹ 1296 Games rolled with Variance Reduction.
    Moves: 3-ply, cube decisions: XG Roller


    eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.10

    I see this as quite a Stick-friendly position.
    I was just jonesing for that inner board blot
    to max my gammon chances. (I should probably have
    said about the increased gammons)
    but, as a major Tim-fan, I also saw his play as making
    good DMP sense.
    But, mirabile dictu, we observe (well some people observe
    it, anyway) that the correct play (my play) actually wins most
    games so is presumably the correct DMP move anyway.

    The DMP Rule seems like a hero here.

    Paul

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Stick Rice@21:1/5 to peps...@gmail.com on Wed Jun 28 08:08:31 2023
    On Monday, June 19, 2023 at 7:37:42 AM UTC-4, peps...@gmail.com wrote:
    On Friday, June 16, 2023 at 11:42:41 PM UTC+1, ah....Clem wrote:
    Tim and I had substantially similar ideas about this play. I wrote:

    Attack or prime? And since we're stuck behind a prime too, timing is an issue. Making a five point board with one on the bar looks very strong, but we have to give up the bar point to do so. I like the looks of
    hitting and keeping the bar point - she is then favored to enter and
    have three stuck behind a solid five prime which makes it more likely
    that her blockade will weaken. If once she enters can leap the blockade with a 5 or 6 we might be stuck behind her blockade for too long. So, 13/10*(2) 13/7 for me.

    The idea is to put her on the roof, have her enter and be stuck behind
    our blockade while hers deteriorates. Whether that's going to work
    remains to be seen.

    Alas, XG begs to differ, and prefers making the ace point after hitting
    by .053.

    Why is that better? Neilkaz offered the terse opinion that he liked
    making the ace point "...for more gammons and noting that XG can't
    improve her board while dancing." Both plays win about the same number
    of games, but making the ace wins more gammons.

    Another commenter observed that after 13/10* 7/1 4/1 fives are
    duplicated. I'm skeptical of that since it's only 52 that's duped not
    the usual eleven or so fives. But in the variant, where I've moved O's checkers on the 17 back to the 16 to eliminate the duplication keeping
    the prime comes out very slightly better. XGID=--bBCBBB--a-bC---b-cbbaA--:1:-1:1:33:0:0:3:0:10

    X:Player 1 O:Player 2
    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game, Jacoby Beaver +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O O O O X | +---+
    | X O | | O O O | | 2 |
    | X | | O | +---+
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X X X X O |
    | O O X | | X X X X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 116 O: 142 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 2, O own cube
    X to play 33
    1. Rollout¹ 13/10* 7/1 4/1 eq:+0.600
    Player: 68.61% (G:39.56% B:1.92%)
    Opponent: 31.39% (G:5.11% B:0.22%)
    Confidence: ±0.009 (+0.591..+0.610) - [100.0%]
    Duration: 3 minutes 58 seconds

    2. Rollout¹ 13/10*(3) 10/7 eq:+0.548 (-0.053)
    Player: 68.36% (G:33.62% B:2.19%)
    Opponent: 31.64% (G:4.24% B:0.17%)
    Confidence: ±0.010 (+0.538..+0.558) - [0.0%]
    Duration: 3 minutes 55 seconds

    ¹ 1296 Games rolled with Variance Reduction.
    Moves: 3-ply, cube decisions: XG Roller

    eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.10



    /////////////////////////
    // variant
    /////////////////////////


    XGID=--bBCBBB--a-bC--b--cbbaA--:1:-1:1:33:0:0:3:0:10
    X:Player 1 O:Player 2
    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game, Jacoby Beaver +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O O O O X | +---+
    | X O | | O O O | | 2 |
    | X | | O | +---+
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X X X X O |
    | O O X | | X X X X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 116 O: 144 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 2, O own cube
    X to play 33
    1. Rollout¹ 13/10*(3) 10/7 eq:+0.660
    Player: 73.08% (G:32.62% B:1.90%)
    Opponent: 26.92% (G:3.12% B:0.13%)
    Confidence: ±0.009 (+0.651..+0.668) - [98.5%]
    Duration: 4 minutes 36 seconds

    2. Rollout¹ 13/10* 7/1 4/1 eq:+0.646 (-0.013)
    Player: 70.90% (G:38.04% B:1.77%)
    Opponent: 29.10% (G:4.43% B:0.18%)
    Confidence: ±0.009 (+0.638..+0.655) - [1.5%]
    Duration: 4 minutes 44 seconds


    ¹ 1296 Games rolled with Variance Reduction.
    Moves: 3-ply, cube decisions: XG Roller


    eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.10
    I see this as quite a Stick-friendly position.
    I was just jonesing for that inner board blot
    to max my gammon chances. (I should probably have
    said about the increased gammons)
    but, as a major Tim-fan, I also saw his play as making
    good DMP sense.
    But, mirabile dictu, we observe (well some people observe
    it, anyway) that the correct play (my pl
    ay) actually wins most
    games so is presumably the correct DMP move anyway.

    The DMP Rule seems like a hero here.

    Paul

    The hitting play is correct at dmp by almost half a percent. (.010)

    Stick

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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