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        Arimaa >> General Discussion >> I have problems thinking about moves
        
(Message started by: supersamu on Aug 13^th, 2012, 12:35pm)

Title: I have problems thinking about moves
Post by supersamu on Aug 13^th, 2012, 12:35pm

I don´t know how to explain this, but here we go:

I have problems thinking about good moves, especially in postals. When I play postal games, I often look at the position for only a minute and then make my move. So I don´t put a lot of thought in the moves. The problem is: I don´t know how to think about positions/moves in Arimaa. I almost always have a plan like switching wings with my camel, taking over a trap with small pieces (bad examples, but you get the point), but I have problems with the exact approach to this plan. Therefore, I have problems with the tactics. Because it takes time to take over a trap, and the position can be very messy, it´s hard to look ahead even one move. My Question is: How do you think about positions?
How do you decide which move to play in a postal game?

When I play fast games (time control 30s/move), I often play the move that feels the most natural to me and just check for blunders before sending the move. How can I improve my game?

Title: Re: I have problems thinking about moves
Post by ocmiente on Aug 13^th, 2012, 8:12pm

I think that the amount of time spent trying to select the best move is critical to winning more postal games.

Provided that you've already read "Beginning Arimaa: Chess Reborn Beyond Computer Comprehension" by Fritz Juhnke, and "Arimaa Strategies and Tactics" by Jean Daligault, and that you've played several games to get a good feel of general tactics and strategy in faster games, exercising a great deal of patience is the next most important thing for playing postal games well.

To play postal games well it helps to be willing to consider a move and then play the game through for a few turns using different responses to see how good the move really is. Then, if it still appears to be a good move, look for a better one. Settling on the first good move is not good enough to win Postal games if your opponent is willing to spend the time to look a little deeper. Play any good move out for a few turns and compare it any other good moves you found. Repeat until there don't appear to be any better moves.

I know that it's impossible to play out all of the permutations, but neither can your opponent. Also, as you play different moves and responses, you'll learn more about the game and get better at it. If you spend more time playing out more permutations, odds are you will make better decisions than your opponent will - all other things being equal.

Be sure to check each quadrant for opportunities you may not have considered. It can be easy to get too focused on one plan, causing you to miss out on a better plan. Try to view the board as it is, and not how it got there. Also, consider how the other player views the board. What are they trying to accomplish? Finally, if you're not sure about a move, sleep on it. If you can't find a better move on the next day, go ahead and make it.

Title: Re: I have problems thinking about moves
Post by Fritzlein on Aug 13^th, 2012, 9:46pm

Ocmiente is right. You have plans. You have strategic markers. You aren't at a loss for reasons to like or dislike a position. In that case, the best thing to do is visually try out different moves. Force yourself to look (literally, on a board or screen) at more than one move. For your top few moves, force yourself to look at (not just think about) more than one opposing response.

This procedure by itself takes several minutes and will slow you way down. If, after that, you are still perfectly clear about which move you like best, fine, go ahead and make it. But if you are like me, you will start to see things about the position you didn't see before. You might get curious about the position, and if you do, then you should chase down that curiosity by studying further for as long as it is fun to do so. Those moments in which you are pursuing an elusive understanding are what Arimaa is really all about.

on 08/13/12 at 12:35:57, supersamu wrote:

When I play fast games (time control 30s/move), I often play the move that feels the most natural to me and just check for blunders before sending the move. How can I improve my game?

In a fast game, there is no time for anything more than instinct and blunder-checking. One way to improve your fast game is to improve your understanding by playing postally, and taking your time at it. My feeling is that practicing by playing quickly only improves your ability to play quickly, but practicing by playing slowly improves both your ability to play quickly and your ability to play slowly.

Title: Re: I have problems thinking about moves
Post by browni3141 on Aug 13^th, 2012, 9:48pm

You might want to think about adopting some sort of thought process to go through every time you make a move. The first step is probably always to think about all of the key features of the position, big and small. Then you should try to formulate a plan around them. It's okay to have multiple plans being executed simultaneously, and you should remember to be flexible and willing to change your plans at any move. Before thinking about how to carry out your plan you should probably think about plans for your opponent, and look for any moves he is threatening. After doing you should simply look for the moves that most directly start to fulfill your plan, as long as there isn't anything to deal with immediately. You might have to make some concessions and play some less direct moves if the most direct move is not safely possible. After coming up with some good candidate moves you should "play" them in your head or in a plan window and repeat the process until you are confident with a move or get tired of thinking.

This is just a general thought process, and it seems to be how I generally go about coming up with a move myself. I probably usually come up with candidate moves first, but this may not be best. There are certainly plenty of other ways to go about coming up with a move.

Title: iRe: I have problems thinking about moves
Post by supersamu on Aug 17^th, 2012, 1:25pm

Thank you all for your advice. I think i will try to write some notes down about every postal game i play from now on. Maybe that helps as well. I have a feeling, that the better players you play against, the more subtle or not forcing the moves are. It is harder to see good moves, because nowhere in the near future can a capture be forced. I don´t have problems with short-term tactics, (2-4 moves) but with mid-term plans (5-8 moves), so to speak.

Is the attack faster if i advance a horse and camel or is it faster if i advance a dog and camel? (the dog would be closer to the trap in this example)

Can I control the trap with these pieces if the elephant comes over, or do i have to send another piece forward?

These are questions i ask myself during a game.
Now that i think of it, the answers you will give me are these:
1. It always depends on the specifics.
2. You will know what to play with experience.

Is there a way to play better in postals without having the necessary experience.
When i watch games of top players, sometimes i have no idea what´s going on, when they are slowly building their attack. I understand what they want to accompish with the first two steps of their move, but often i don´t understand why they stepped this rabbit forward and not that rabbit.

P.S. I am rated ~ 1850, but in terms of understanding the game even a little bit i fell even more helpless, as i felt when i was ~ 1600, where the game was all about not blundering and forcing captures.

Title: Re: I have problems thinking about moves
Post by Boo on Aug 17^th, 2012, 2:23pm

Quote:

When i watch games of top players, sometimes i have no idea what´s going on, when they are slowly building their attack.

You can download and watch commented games:

http://arimaa.com/arimaa/mwiki/index.php/Videos

Title: Re: I have problems thinking about moves
Post by supersamu on Aug 17^th, 2012, 2:55pm

I think i have watched over 20 commented games already, some even twice. :o

EDIT: I have read the wikibook and Jean Daligault´s book.

Title: Re: I have problems thinking about moves
Post by clauchau on Sep 20^th, 2012, 6:34am

The best answer might be elusive : try to invent or check something you don't know yet and which no majority would clearly agree upon at first. Improvize like jazz, with long-term quests and short-term unexpected twists. Look afar or sideway and let your feet walk for you. Let some passion drives your writing. :)