Credits
Problem 84Â from "Whats Your Game Plan?"Â by Mary Hickey and Marty Storer
XG skin design by Rain
Analysis
We've had this position before. Have you taken the lesson onboard?
White's board is strong, and getting stronger. We probably don’t want to get hit, which means we surely don’t want to attack White’s blot. 21 is a poor roll to start to bring our last checkers home, and exposing two blots really doesn't feel great. 8/6 8/7 it is then, right?
But look again. White has three forward blots of their own. Moving 13/11 13/12 leaves only indirect shots. Crucially that means they'd use up all their dice roll to hit us, leaving six blots around the board in the process, none of which they can cover. Risky for them. Maybe we'll hit several of those blots and go on to a gammon win! And if not we're that much closer to home.
13/11 13/12Â it is. Anything else is a blunder.