I had this position in a match against the Groucho in the London League last week. I had to win this match to win the overall match.
I knew that XG would want me to play 23/16 because keeping the four-point prime is important in such positions
However, I didn’t fancy the prospect of losing a gammon and the match by having two blots closed out and so I played 8/6, 8/3. I went to lose a single game and then the Crawford Game to lose the match.
I should have listened to XG. White is not favourite to close out both checkers even if he hits the first one, and I have played long enough to “know” that 23/16 is correct in such situations.
I had made the wrong play because of the pressure of the match situation. Lesson learnt.
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