White is playing a 1-3 back game, holding Blue's 1 and 3 points, and Blue is bearing in against those anchors with the cube centered in an unlimited game. A back game cube is not a race decision. Blue is far ahead in every position here and stays ahead. The question is whether the next roll can change the position so much that the cube is wasted or lost.

For Blue, the double belongs to a moment. Three points are left in front of the foremost anchor, the clearing point is ready, and one good roll ends White's chances and takes the market away. Before that moment Blue waits, because with four points to clear no roll ruins White, and an early cube hands White a comfortable take and a strong redouble if a shot hits. After that moment Blue is often too good. For White, the take is a timing question. Two anchors promise a chance of a shot, not a shot, and the chance is worth something only if White's board is still alive when the shot comes, and only if White can afford the gammons that come with waiting.

Pick Blue's structure, then slide White's timing from well timed to crashed. The color strip shows where Blue's double arrives and where White's take ends. Each step asks two questions. Should Blue double, and if Blue doubles, should White take or pass? Every step has been fully rolled out to the end of the game. The best action earns a green BEST badge. An action that gives up a little equity is an ERROR, and one that gives up a lot is a BLUNDER.