This is a second position from the recent Gibraltar tournament.
It might look obvious to play 13/12, 13/11 but a lesson I was reminded of during the recent UBC matches was that you never leave even an indirect shot if your opponent has a perfect board. 13/12, 13/11 leaves White four immediate winning numbers so that apparently flexible option must be discounted.
XG’s initial evaluation gives 6/3 as the best play but when it looks much deeper on a rollout it comes up with the correct play 8/7, 8/6.
At the cost of giving up the 8-pt Red gets spares on his bar and 6-pts. In turn, those spares will give him time to clear his outer board points and for White’s position to weaken.
6/3 is a mistake but not an error. The key is to remember not to give unnecessary indirect shots when your opponent has a perfect reception committee.
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