FIBS Board backgammon forum

I am for making the bar point, and that is what I usually do in this kind of place - but I am not really sure that it is right.  I am therefore waiting for some instruction here - pointing on that 7 just seems to take away so much flexibility when we are trying to get a gammon together here and end this well.

Making the bar point is not counterproductive to trying to gammon him. If we can prime him, we can pound on him with impunity, knowing he cant escape and making the gammon more likely. For us, the worst case scenario is that he anchors up and we're forced to cash a measly 1 point.

Since this roll doesnt allow us to really bring serious wood within range to pound him, we make the 5-prime and enjoy being a huge favorite.

There are two ways to win the gammon here. One is to blitz and close out two checkers, the other is to trap two checkers behind a prime. We don't yet have checkers in position for the first plan and even when we do, we will have to tread a bit carefully given that rkb has a fairly good board himself. Making the bar may look inflexible, but making the five prime now means that we can play the priming game if rkb enters and switch to a blitz later if he doesn't, a blitz that will be all the stronger for having the prime. In other words, making the bar is actually more flexible then spreading out builders! A third scenario, possibly the most likely, is that rkb will anchor and we will end up cashing. We can do that better with a prime.

The "obvious" play is to make the bar point.  That leaves rkb with two checkers stuck behind a 5-prime and as they say, "hit a single backman, blockade two."

But, there are gammons to be had here and 10/8 9/5 bears on the two point, giving a better chance at a closeout. (if rkb anchors, goodbye gammon)  Making the bar point requires doublets  to make another point, or waiting another couple of rolls to bring in another spare.

Or we could start clearing the trailing point with 16/11.  Nah, that seems weak.

The whole point of our last move was tobring  down builders to  make more points, and we have a chance to make another point here, so "thematically" making the bar seems right. Let's do it.

10/7 9/7

last move we spread the checkers as builders to extend the prime and now we are rewarded for that and we can profit in making the bar point. go for it!
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