On 11/10/2021 7:32 AM, BlueDice wrote:

X has a checker on the bar.

XGID=-b---AD-C-A-dD----bcA-b-bA:0:0:1:64:0:0:0:0:10
X:Player 1 O:Player 2

Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game
+13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
| X O | | O X O O |
| X O | | O O O |
| X | | O |
| X | | |
| | X | |
| |BAR| |
| | | |
| O | | X |
| O X | | X |
| O X | | X O |
| O X X | | X X O |
+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
Pip count X: 160 O: 140 X-O: 0-0
Cube: 1
X to play 64

...I have some additional comments to make. Often I hear people
justifying a play such as bar/15 by saying that it "keeps the
back checkers connected." I have found that connectivity is
rarely if ever the relevant concept to consider in this type of
position. More often than not, you're not going to have the
opportunity to make that outfield point next turn, and even if
you are, it's usually not that important a point to make anyway.

Instead, I find that it's usually more important to ask if you
are in more danger of getting attacked or of getting primed.
If the priming danger predominates, then you typically want to
get your straggler close to the edge of the prime in order to
jump out. If the attacking danger predominates, then you
typically want to take the edge off your opponent's best rolls,
such as double-hits and PoH. That often means keeping your
straggler further back. "Keeping your checkers connected" often
just means giving your opponent more double-hitting rolls.

Sometimes it can be difficult to weigh the attacking danger
against the priming danger, but here it is clear that O has
no priming threat and it's her attacking threat that X has to
be worried about.

---
Tim Chow

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

On Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 2:43:13 PM UTC, Tim Chow wrote:

On 11/10/2021 7:32 AM, BlueDice wrote:

X has a checker on the bar.

XGID=-b---AD-C-A-dD----bcA-b-bA:0:0:1:64:0:0:0:0:10
X:Player 1 O:Player 2

Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
| X O | | O X O O |
| X O | | O O O |
| X | | O |
| X | | |
| | X | |
| |BAR| |
| | | |
| O | | X |
| O X | | X |
| O X | | X O |
| O X X | | X X O |
+12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
Pip count X: 160 O: 140 X-O: 0-0
Cube: 1
X to play 64

...I have some additional comments to make. Often I hear people
justifying a play such as bar/15 by saying that it "keeps the
back checkers connected." I have found that connectivity is
rarely if ever the relevant concept to consider in this type of
position. More often than not, you're not going to have the
opportunity to make that outfield point next turn, and even if
you are, it's usually not that important a point to make anyway.

Instead, I find that it's usually more important to ask if you
are in more danger of getting attacked or of getting primed.
If the priming danger predominates, then you typically want to
get your straggler close to the edge of the prime in order to
jump out. If the attacking danger predominates, then you
typically want to take the edge off your opponent's best rolls,
such as double-hits and PoH. That often means keeping your
straggler further back. "Keeping your checkers connected" often
just means giving your opponent more double-hitting rolls.

Sometimes it can be difficult to weigh the attacking danger
against the priming danger, but here it is clear that O has
no priming threat and it's her attacking threat that X has to
be worried about.

---
Tim Chow

Great observations, I make it 15 double hit shots after bar/15 and 11 after bar/21 20/14.
--
BD

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

On 11/11/2021 9:43 AM, Timothy Chow wrote:

On 11/10/2021 7:32 AM, BlueDice wrote:

X has a checker on the bar.

XGID=-b---AD-C-A-dD----bcA-b-bA:0:0:1:64:0:0:0:0:10
X:Player 1   O:Player 2

Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game
  +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
  | X              O |   | O  X     O     O |
  | X              O |   | O        O     O |
  | X                |   | O                |
  | X                |   |                  |
  |                  | X |                  |
  |                  |BAR|                  |
  |                  |   |                  |
  | O                |   | X                |
  | O           X    |   | X                | >>   | O           X    |   | X              O | >>   | O     X     X    |   | X  X           O |
  +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
Pip count  X: 160  O: 140 X-O: 0-0
Cube: 1
X to play 64

...I have some additional comments to make.  Often I hear people
justifying a play such as bar/15 by saying that it "keeps the
back checkers connected."  I have found that connectivity is
rarely if ever the relevant concept to consider in this type of
position.  More often than not, you're not going to have the
opportunity to make that outfield point next turn, and even if
you are, it's usually not that important a point to make anyway.

Instead, I find that it's usually more important to ask if you
are in more danger of getting attacked or of getting primed.
If the priming danger predominates, then you typically want to
get your straggler close to the edge of the prime in order to
jump out.  If the attacking danger predominates, then you
typically want to take the edge off your opponent's best rolls,
such as double-hits and PoH.  That often means keeping your
straggler further back.  "Keeping your checkers connected" often
just means giving your opponent more double-hitting rolls.

Sometimes it can be difficult to weigh the attacking danger
against the priming danger, but here it is clear that O has
no priming threat and it's her attacking threat that X has to
be worried about.

I haven't checked the bot yet, but I'm assuming 20/14 is the bot play.

In my response, I mentioned that 21/15 dupes fives three ways for X to
cover. I didn't mention (because I didn't notice) that 20/14 dupes twos
for O. Those two considerations should outweigh whatever advantage connectivity may bring.

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