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        Arimaa >> Game Analysis >> game 163302 ginrunner vr. bot_Bomb2005Blitz in cer
        
(Message started by: ginrunner on Dec 5^th, 2010, 2:13am)

Title: game 163302 ginrunner vr. bot_Bomb2005Blitz in cer
Post by ginrunner on Dec 5^th, 2010, 2:13am

http://arimaa.com/arimaa/gameroom/opengamewin.cgi?client=1&gameid=163302&role=v&side=w

well honestly I think I should have won this game except for a glitch in the bot which basically told me my last move was illegal and then wouldnt show me the bot's move (this has happpened twice now).

There are a few mindless mistakes on my part that now after the fact seem pretty obvious. I make many in blitz games. Honestly I am looking for major weaknesses in the strategy itself as well as any forced goals that I missed. I feel like I am lacking in seeing forced goals which is a major factor of my new strategy that I am working on. The new strategy is to create a wall at my opponents home that restricts their movement. hopefully creating phalanxes in certain areas so that I can use stroger pieces vrs weaker ones to force goals and flip back weaker units as I was doing.

Also, do you think 52g was a prudent choice? sacrificing 2 smaller pieces for the camel even though I have more or less successfully blockaded the bot.

btw my next move would have been putting the e5 rabbit on the east side of my elephant.

Title: Re: game 163302 ginrunner vr. bot_Bomb2005Blitz in
Post by Nombril on Dec 6^th, 2010, 9:19am

I think your idea to create the wall at your opponents traps sounds reasonable. But you could consider if you want to take the time to flip out weaker piece to capture on your home traps, vs. trying to completely take control of one of your opponents traps and start capturing there. I find the second choice more difficult to accomplish, but it can provide for more immediate goal pressure.

One of the things I'm trying to do is remember to not get locked into one strategy. Starting at 22g, I think you could have done well to shift gears and rotate your elephant away from f6. (aiming for your dog on f5 and horse on e6, maybe one of your rabbits on the trap?) This lets you hunt down the free silver camel and gives you the strongest active piece. But maybe silver having both a horse and camel near by would have made it difficult. to keep f5 occupied.

As for goal attacks, I didn't notice any forced goals. You need to keep a strong piece forward. At 37g, having your Horse leave b6 was probably a big loss in your strategic advantage, since you can no longer continue a goal attack on this wing with just rabbits advanced. (Maybe 37g Rb5w Rc5w cd5w He5w is something to consider.) Another chance to push for a goal attack - consider 54g dd7n Hd6n rc7n Hd7w? The goal attack can be stopped, but maybe it gets your dog free to go to f7. Though maybe this is easily refuted, I don't consider goal attacks to be one of my strengths. Also keep in mind when you have such a crowded position you will probably need either two separate goal attacks or to capture more pieces.

At 52g, you had already lost the cat. (At least I don't see an easy way to break the frame.) So if you consider the position just from 52g, taking the camel was a good decision in my opinion.

Title: Re: game 163302 ginrunner vr. bot_Bomb2005Blitz in
Post by ginrunner on Dec 6^th, 2010, 1:40pm

Thank you for the reply!

I will go over the 22g part and look for some different lines but I have noticed that when I take my elephant away from a trap where the enemy elephant is I tend to lose control of it much more quickly than I would like.

Your 37g move is definitely better than what I did. I remember my rational for what I did was I could not force a goal with silver clustered so densely there and so I was rotating my horse out to create another free strong piece but as we can see I lost a rabbit for basically nothing. You move allows me to maintain the blockade as well as force a capture. I wish I had seen that.