Blue is priming, and against a 1-2 back game the 5 point is worth more than any hit. White has four checkers on Blue’s 1 and 2 points, the deepest back game there is, trails by 64 pips, and would be happy to be hit, since every checker sent back adds to White’s timing. Blue plays 9/5 6/5, making the 5 point for a four-point prime from the 3 point to the 6 point with the 8 point behind it; only a 6 from the ace point or a 5 from the 2 point lets a White checker out, and the position is strong enough to cash. Hitting two checkers with 21/20*/16* sends a fifth and a sixth checker back, hands White 36 pips of extra timing and leaves Blue’s blots on the 9 and 16 points with the 5 point still unmade. It loses 0.316 equity, a BLUNDER.

Blue is priming: five White checkers sit on Blue’s 1 and 2 points, White trails by 61 pips, and the surest way to beat a deep back game is to wall it in and make White play every roll in front of it. Blue plays 13/7 11/7, making the bar point to complete a five-point prime from the 4 point to the 8 point; only 6-1 or 6-2 now gets a White checker past it. The straggler on the 24 point costs Blue a single pip if it is hit, and a hit there only gives Blue more time. Running with 24/14 brings the last checker out but builds nothing: it leaves blots on the 11 and 14 points facing 15 shots and five White checkers behind a wall with a hole on the bar point. It loses 0.122 equity, a BLUNDER.

Blue is priming and attacking at once. Blue already has a five-point prime from the 3 point to the 7 point, so the four White checkers on the 1 and 2 points are going nowhere; the question is whether Blue’s three checkers on White’s bar point get home safely, and White’s loose checker on Blue’s 10 point is the one checker that can hit them. Blue plays 18/10*, hitting it. The checker enters only with a 1 or a 2 and dances 16 times in 36, the return shots at Blue’s blots on the 10 and 11 points total 12, and while it waits White’s other ten checkers must absorb every roll on an already stacked board. The safe 18/16 11/5 leaves that checker free to play and leaves a Blue blot on the 16 point facing 27 shots. It loses 0.120 equity, a BLUNDER.

Blue is priming, and with six White checkers back and a 113-pip lead the danger is Blue’s own timing, not White’s shots. White holds Blue’s 1 and 2 points with three checkers each and has nine other checkers to play with. Blue plays 13/7 8/7, making the bar point for a five-point prime from the 4 point to the 8 point with no blot anywhere, and keeping two spare checkers on the midpoint to play with while White’s front position breaks. Slotting with 13/7 4/3 leaves blots on the 3 and 7 points facing 32 shots; a hit does Blue’s timing little harm, but a checker sent back must come all the way round past White’s midpoint, and the games Blue then loses are twice as often gammons. It loses 0.085 equity, a BLUNDER.

Blue is bearing in against a 1-2 back game with White holding the cube at 2 and a five-point board ready for any checker that is hit, so the shot count is everything. Blue leads by 79 pips with five checkers still outside, two each on the 7 and 8 points and one on the 11 point. Blue plays 8/3 8/4, clearing the 8 point with both checkers; the straggler on the 11 point is exposed only to 6-3, 2 shots, since White’s hitters must come from the 1 and 2 points. Bringing the straggler in with 11/7 8/3 leaves a lone checker on the 8 point facing every 6, 11 shots, and against a five-point board with the cube already at 2 a hit now would usually cost the game. It loses 0.036 equity, an ERROR.

Blue is bearing in with a 104-pip lead against a 1-2 back game; the race is irrelevant, and the only thing that matters is not leaving a shot. Blue has two outside points left, the 7 and 8 points, and White’s five back checkers wait on the 1 and 2 points. Blue plays 8/3 8/6, clearing the 8 point with both checkers and leaving three checkers on the bar point, four on the 6 point and three each on the 5 and 3 points; next turn only double 4s force a blot. The other plays all move one checker from the 8 point and leave its partner alone there, where every 6 hits it, 11 shots, and the whole point of the 104-pip lead is thrown away. 8/5 7/3 loses 0.213 equity, a BLUNDER.

Blue is bearing in against a 1-2 back game, 87 pips ahead, with the 7 and 8 points left to clear. Against anchors on the 1 and 2 points the bar point is the easy point to leave for last: a 5 or a 6 cannot be played from it at all, so those numbers can never force a blot, and only 1s through 4s move its checkers, all of which land safely. Blue plays 8/4 8/6, clearing the 8 point; next turn only 5-4 and 6-4 force a blot, 4 rolls. Clearing the bar point first with 7/3 7/5 leaves the 8 point as the last outside point, where 5s must be played and 6s cannot, and ten rolls next turn force a blot that White hits with 13 shots. It loses 0.272 equity, a BLUNDER.

Blue is bearing off against a 1-2 back game with 66 pips to go and a 119-pip lead; White’s five back checkers wait on the 1 and 2 points, and the one way Blue loses is a blot. Blue plays 6/4 6/5(2), clearing the 6 point completely and leaving six checkers on the 5 point, five on the 4 point and four on the 3 point. With the 6 point gone every 5 and 6 bears a checker off, and next turn only double 4s force a blot. Stacking with 5/4(4) keeps three checkers on the 6 point, where every 5 is wasted because 6/1 is blocked by White’s anchor, strips the 5 point bare, and leaves an odd checker on the 6 point to be cleared later under fire. It loses 0.188 equity, a BLUNDER.

Blue is bearing off against a 1-2 back game with two checkers off and 55 pips to go, while White holds a five-point board and waits on the 1 and 2 points for a shot. Blue plays 6/4 6/5, clearing the 6 point with both checkers; the position is strong enough to cash, every 5 and 6 then bears a checker off, and next turn only double 4s force a blot. Playing 5/3 4/3 keeps two checkers on the 6 point and strips the 5 point to two, so that twelve rolls next turn force a blot in front of a five-point board, and a hit there turns a won game into a probable loss. It loses 0.258 equity, a BLUNDER.

Blue is bearing off against a 1-2 back game with 58 pips to go and the 5, 4 and 3 points left; White’s four back checkers sit on the 1 and 2 points waiting for a blot. Blue plays 5/4(4), clearing the 5 point entirely and leaving nine checkers on the 4 point and six on the 3 point: no roll next turn can force a blot, every 4, 5 and 6 bears a checker off, and the position is strong enough to cash. Playing 5/3(2) leaves two checkers behind on the 5 point and piles eight on the 3 point, and thirteen rolls next turn force a blot that White hits with 20 shots. It loses 0.665 equity, a BLUNDER.