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  • The trouble with a blot on your 2pt...

    From Timothy Chow@21:1/5 to All on Fri Nov 11 10:32:03 2022
    ...is that you have to decide how to deal with it later.

    XGID=-aA--aEBC---cB---c-cBbb---:0:0:1:64:0:0:0:0:10

    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game
    +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O X O O |
    | X O | | O X O O |
    | O | | O |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | X |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X |
    | O X X | | X |
    | O X X | | X O X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 136 O: 139 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 1
    X to play 64

    ---
    Tim Chow

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From ah...Clem@21:1/5 to Timothy Chow on Fri Nov 11 17:23:03 2022
    On 11/11/2022 10:32 AM, Timothy Chow wrote:
    ...is that you have to decide how to deal with it later.

    XGID=-aA--aEBC---cB---c-cBbb---:0:0:1:64:0:0:0:0:10

    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game  +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
     | X           O    |   | O  X  O  O       |
     | X           O    |   | O  X  O  O       |  |             O    |   | O                |  |                  |   |                  |
     |                  |   |                  |
     |                  |BAR|                  |
     |                  |   | X                |
     |                  |   | X                |
     | O           X    |   | X                |  | O           X  X |   | X                |
     | O           X  X |   | X  O        X  O |  +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count  X: 136  O: 139 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 1
    X to play 64

    Once upon a time, the received wisdom was to avoid making deep homeboard points. Now, the standard advice is to go ahead and make your ace or
    deuce point if it makes sense.

    I'll make it here, but don't relish the idea of stacking a second
    checker on the deuce. Is there something better? Not seeing it, so
    I'll play 8/2 6/2.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Timothy Chow@21:1/5 to All on Sun Nov 13 09:13:28 2022
    XGID=-aA--aEBC---cB---c-cBbb---:0:0:1:64:0:0:0:0:10

    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game
    +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O X O O |
    | X O | | O X O O |
    | O | | O |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | X |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X |
    | O X X | | X |
    | O X X | | X O X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 136 O: 139 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 1
    X to play 64

    Mochy once joked that he hates 8/2 and that it is "illegal in Denmark."

    http://www.bgonline.org/forums/webbbs_config.pl?read=139316

    If putting one checker on the 2pt is terrible, putting three checkers
    there must be even more unthinkable, right? Well, I tried 13/7 6/2 in
    this position and was soundly chastised by XG for it.

    1. Rollout¹ 8/2 6/2 eq:+0.121
    Player: 52.54% (G:11.42% B:0.19%)
    Opponent: 47.46% (G:7.41% B:0.29%)
    Confidence: ±0.010 (+0.111..+0.131) - [100.0%]

    2. Rollout¹ 13/7 6/2 eq:-0.019 (-0.140)
    Player: 49.02% (G:9.28% B:0.21%)
    Opponent: 50.98% (G:6.53% B:0.23%)
    Confidence: ±0.011 (-0.030..-0.008) - [0.0%]

    ¹ 1296 Games rolled with Variance Reduction.
    Moves: 3-ply, cube decisions: XG Roller

    eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.19.211.pre-release

    ---
    Tim Chow

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bradley K. Sherman@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sun Nov 13 14:29:11 2022
    Timothy Chow <[email protected]> wrote:
    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game
    +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O X O O |
    | X O | | O X O O |
    | O | | O |
    | | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | X |
    | | | X |
    | O X | | X |
    | O X X | | X |
    | O X X | | X O X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 136 O: 139 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 1
    X to play 64
    ...
    1. Rollout¹ 8/2 6/2 eq:+0.121

    Yuck. This is the ugliest "right" move that I have ever seen.

    --bks

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Timothy Chow@21:1/5 to Bradley K. Sherman on Sun Nov 13 19:06:05 2022
    On 11/13/2022 9:29 AM, Bradley K. Sherman wrote:
    Yuck. This is the ugliest "right" move that I have ever seen.

    Here's another candidate for that title, taken from "Chow's
    Checkerplay Challenge #2":

    XGID=-BBa--DbC----D---aabbbbb--:0:0:1:21:0:0:0:1:10

    Score is X:0 O:0 1 pt.(s) match.
    +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O O | | O O O O O |
    | X | | O O O O O |
    | X | | |
    | X | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | |
    | | | X |
    | X | | X |
    | X O | | X X X |
    | X O | | X O X X |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 106 O: 113 X-O: 0-0/1
    Cube: 1
    X to play 21

    1. XG Roller++ 8/6 2/1 eq:-0.058
    Player: 47.12% (G:2.79% B:0.04%)
    Opponent: 52.88% (G:10.79% B:0.13%)

    2. XG Roller++ 6/3* eq:-0.109 (-0.052)
    Player: 44.53% (G:4.26% B:0.08%)
    Opponent: 55.47% (G:18.66% B:0.27%)

    eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.19.211.pre-release, MET: Kazaross XG2

    ---
    Tim Chow

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Bradley K. Sherman@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Mon Nov 14 00:34:08 2022
    Timothy Chow <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 11/13/2022 9:29 AM, Bradley K. Sherman wrote:
    Yuck. This is the ugliest "right" move that I have ever seen.

    Here's another candidate for that title, taken from "Chow's
    Checkerplay Challenge #2":

    XGID=-BBa--DbC----D---aabbbbb--:0:0:1:21:0:0:0:1:10

    Score is X:0 O:0 1 pt.(s) match.
    +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O O | | O O O O O |
    | X | | O O O O O |
    | X | | |
    | X | | |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | | | |
    | | | X |
    | X | | X |
    | X O | | X X X |
    | X O | | X O X X |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 106 O: 113 X-O: 0-0/1
    Cube: 1
    X to play 21

    1. XG Roller++ 8/6 2/1 eq:-0.058

    I don't find that as objectionable.

    --bks

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Timothy Chow@21:1/5 to All on Sun Nov 13 21:15:33 2022
    Here's another "ugly" play, though still probably not as ugly as the
    incumbent. Also, it's not clear that this play is "correct"; see
    here for a long rollout that is still inconclusive:

    http://www.bgonline.org/forums/webbbs_config.pl?read=70775

    XGID=-b----E-D---eD---b-d--AbA-:0:0:1:43:0:0:0:0:10

    Score is X:0 O:0. Unlimited Game
    +13-14-15-16-17-18------19-20-21-22-23-24-+
    | X O | | O X O X |
    | X O | | O O |
    | X | | O |
    | X | | O |
    | | | |
    | |BAR| |
    | O | | X |
    | O X | | X |
    | O X | | X |
    | O X | | X O |
    | O X | | X O |
    +12-11-10--9--8--7-------6--5--4--3--2--1-+
    Pip count X: 160 O: 157 X-O: 0-0
    Cube: 1
    X to play 43

    1. XG Roller++ 13/6 eq:-0.093
    Player: 47.97% (G:12.92% B:0.59%)
    Opponent: 52.03% (G:16.09% B:0.52%)

    2. XG Roller++ 24/21 13/9 eq:-0.101 (-0.008)
    Player: 48.39% (G:13.42% B:0.76%)
    Opponent: 51.61% (G:17.41% B:0.77%)

    3. XG Roller++ 22/15 eq:-0.105 (-0.013)
    Player: 48.68% (G:11.42% B:0.51%)
    Opponent: 51.32% (G:16.60% B:0.56%)

    4. XG Roller++ 24/20 13/10 eq:-0.113 (-0.020)
    Player: 48.02% (G:12.62% B:0.66%)
    Opponent: 51.98% (G:17.06% B:0.74%)

    eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.19.211.pre-release

    ---
    Tim Chow

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)