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Bearing in
safely (2)
Michael Crane
So, now we know how to deal with moving
from one table to the other and avoiding wherever possible leaving blots, let's look at the
beginning of the game in Diagram 7.
Diagram
7
This is the starting position for you
(black) going in an anticlockwise direction; turn the board around to view the starting position
for white (you can play in either direction with both home board tables to your left as for white).
You are moving all your men around the board into your home board and then off to win - simple! The
problem is, white is doing the same too - and you have to stop him.
You stop white achieving this by blocking his moves by constructing primes (two or more
points in a row occupied by one or more of your men). These primes are used to contain your
opponent's men and to restrict his movement around the board - but, as you've guessed,
he's doing the same!
You know what a blot is and that it is desirable not to leave any so the best way around the
board is by making points and, if possible, joining those points into primes. Now, let's look
at the standard opening moves.
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