3 times 66 - can you find the best play in all three?

I will take a shot (but IÂ’ll probably be wrong):

Position 1: I donÂ’t think we are ready to give up our anchor yet, especially since we cannot safely escape all our back checkers without leaving an outfield point that is just going to have to be broken fairly soon and likely when our opponent has built his board. IÂ’m playing this as a back game defense. We want to maintain timing and prime our opponents back checkers. In line with this, 13/7 to form a 4 prime, 11/5 to bring a builder into play when our opponent breaks our 4 point and 22/16 to bb possible take a hit and gain timing would be my option.

Position 2: I am not real eager to step the back checker to the bar point. Blue has too many checkers ready to pounce. IÂ’m looking at an attack since blue has only one checker back. We can either hit loose on the ace point and make the two, bring all four from the midpoint to the bar point or make the ace point with two from the mid. This oneÂ’s tough for me and I likely will screw it up, but I like 13/1* 8/2(2). This keeps our midpoint to help with outfield control and to give our back men a landing spot.

Position 3: IÂ’ll probably screw this one up too because it seems too obvious, but 24/18(2) 13/7(2) to make both bar points. Helps us on both sides of the board and IÂ’m not sure what else could be better

Position 1: the priority is to make the 7 since you very much want to constrain all 4 back checkers, especially that spare 3rd checker on the ace. Then 21/15(2) seems at least OK since it's good builders for the 9 and the 10 and keeps all the checkers relatively connected. You don't really need an inner board anchor here, it's not like Blue can effectively attack.

Other than 21/15(2), there might some other play that's close, since you can pretty safely leave a checker on your 9 or 10 points. But pretty sure you don't want to make the 2 here which makes your block weaker. Also bad I think is 11/5 since you want that checker more alive for making the 9 and the 10, and for outfield control.

Position 3: standard play is 24/18(2) 13/7(2), then you get to cube the non-anchoring numbers. I think making the 1 point would be very bad, since you are forgoing making the great anchor for a blitz that probably won't work. Maybe if you had a low point in the board instead of the 5 point, so blitzing is more thematic, that would be OK, but even then I'd tend do the standard thing.

Position 2 is hardest for me, I'd make the 1 point, but not sure how that compares to 13/7(4) at this score where blitzing isn't the greatest game plan. But it does keep Blue from making progress, and it's more thematic here, since you have the big stack on the 6. And you don't have to forgo a great anchor to do it.

I looked at position 1 after reading this and I think you’re right about keeping the checker on the 11. In line with this, after making the 7, how about 22/10 with the other two sixes? It does leave a direct shot from the four point anchor, but blue is not going to be real eager to give up that anchor and we can likely complete the prime in fairly short order if he does break anchor to hit our blot.

Edit - oops I quoted the wrong post. I meant to quote the one about position 1

Without too much thinking, I would have played:

1) 22/16 13/7(2) 11/5
2) 13/7(2) 8/2(2)
3) 24/18(2) 13/7(2)

But after reading the great discussion between stremba70 and _Z_, I'm not so sure anymore about #1 and especially #2 which is also the hardest of the 3 for me.