Which Blot?

Another problem from 'Classic Backgammon Revisited', where Jeremy Bagai goes back over the sacred texts of old and tells us where - and crucially why! - the modern bots would play things differently.

I’m predicting that most of us will get this one right. The answer is 8/4 6/4 for what seem - to me - to be clear reasons. We build our board while unstacking. Back when Paul Magriel wrote the modern bible that is ‘Backgammon’, he thought that 7/1* was the play, which to modern eyes seems very wrong in this position.

Needless to say Bagai helps to tease out some of the subtleties here, and gives some similar positions where the answer would turn out rather differently. Have a read of his full explanation.