{"id":737,"date":"2025-12-21T07:39:33","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T07:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gammonrants.org\/?page_id=737"},"modified":"2025-12-21T07:39:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T07:39:34","slug":"a-subtle-blunder","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gammonrants.org\/index.php\/a-subtle-blunder\/","title":{"rendered":"A subtle blunder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You know these positions where it doesn’t matter whether you move this or that checker? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out, sometimes it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have a look at this move:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What’s your opinion on this move? Was it good? What other move might have been better and why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When playing this move, I probably spent something like 300 milliseconds on it. Get checker from the bar, do something with the remaining 1 that doesn’t affect the game too much. Maybe move the last checker. Always good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which was a blunder worth 0.12 points of equity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The correct move is bar\/21 6\/5, NOT moving the checker on the 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I’m still a bit stunned about this. Yes, I’m doubling the chances of my opponent hitting me – a 66 is 1\/36, and a 65 is 1\/18. And given his 5-point board that’s almost certainly turning the game around. But 1\/36 is nearly nothing. Probably part of the explanation is my blot on the 21 point. So it’s not that my opponent has a single chance to hit me with a 65. He also can first hit me with any 1 and 3, and while I’m trying to get in from the bar, he can roll a 6 and later a 5, for a sure win and even good gammon chances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as there is not a single tiny drawback of moving 6\/5, I should just have spent more than a fraction of a second to consider this move. Even the simple ones might not be so simple.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You know these positions where it doesn’t matter whether you move this or that checker? Turns out, sometimes it does. Have a look at this move: What’s your opinion on this move? Was it good? What other move might have been better and why? When playing this move, I probably spent something like 300 milliseconds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-737","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t