For even $n$, let $g(n)$ be the number of ways to write $n$ as a sum of two primes $n=p+q$ with $p \le q$. Define $a_k$ to be the largest $n$ with $g(n)=k$. I would bet money that no-one will disprove (in the next 10 years) that $a_k$ for $10 \le k \le 19$ are $632, 692, 626, 992, 878, 908, 1112, 998, 1412, 1202$. One would expect these numbers to have no small odd divisors (and each is a power of 2 times a prime) but I would expect them to be about evenly split between $2 \bmod 6$ and $4 \bmod 6$. Yet all of these are $2 \bmod 6$. Is there a model which  accounts for this? (Update: $a_j$ for $1\le j \le 42$ are all $2 \bmod 6$. The proportion which are $2 \bmod 6$ never goes below 76% for $k \le 5001$. So it is not as blatant as I first thought but still quite pronounced.)

>  Is there a (heuristic) reason for this bias in favor of $2 \bmod 6$? 

Discussion **(revised thanks to [Gerry](https://mathoverflow.net/questions/54259/why-are-goldbach-laggards-biased-towards-2-mod-6#comment135481_54259) and [David](https://mathoverflow.net/questions/54259/why-are-goldbach-laggards-biased-towards-2-mod-6#comment135432_54259))**: Of course we do not know if $a_k$ is well defined although we suspect it is. Data exists for $g(n)$  up to $2.5 \cdot 10^8$. The estimates are based on the size of n and the set of odd primes dividing it. This would predict that from some point on we never have $g(n+m)<g(n)$ with $n+m$ a multiple of 3 but $n$ not a multiple of 3. That seems to be true (I think). The OEIS has a list of [Conjecturally largest even integer which is an unordered sum of two primes in exactly n ways][1] and a link from there gives the first 5001 values. Of these all are $2 \bmod 6$ up until entries $43, 48, 70, 81, 88$. Over the entire $5001$ values, $3847$ are $2 \bmod 6$ and $1154$ are $4 \bmod 6$. The proportion which are $2 \bmod 6$ looks like it might converge to $\frac{3}{4}$.

The proportions which are in various congruence classes are
\begin{gather*}
[[0, 1], [2, 3846], [4, 1154]] \bmod 6 \\
[[2, 1536], [4, 911], [6, 874], [8, 1680]] \bmod 10 \\
[[2, 711], [4, 656], [6, 944], [8, 644], [10, 1033], [12, 1013]] \bmod 14 \\
[[0, 663], [2, 636], [4, 637], [6, 583], [8, 647], [10, 606], [12, 613], [14, 616]] \bmod 16.
\end{gather*}

David [suggests](https://mathoverflow.net/questions/54259/why-are-goldbach-laggards-biased-towards-2-mod-6#comment135432_54259) that it might relate to prime races and gives a good reference which in turn suggests a relation to congruence classes of squares. I suppose that even a slight advantage can bias the location of the extreme cases, but I'm not sure. 


[1]: http://oeis.org/A000954