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Arimaa >> Game Analysis >> bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
(Message started by: Swynndla on Jun 18th, 2011, 6:35pm)

Title: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by Swynndla on Jun 18th, 2011, 6:35pm
http://arimaa.com/arimaa/gameroom/comments.cgi?gid=187775

I was surprised with 8g, and I think it's not a good move for gold, but I'm not sure how to play to exploit it - I managed to tangle myself up, and along with mistakes I blew it. But what sort of general strategy should I have done from 8s on instead?

Title: Re: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by Swynndla on Jun 18th, 2011, 7:29pm
This one was very similar:
http://arimaa.com/arimaa/gameroom/opengamewin.cgi?client=1&gameid=187840&role=v&side=b
(same sort of move) ... but was I on the right track?

Title: Re: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by Fritzlein on Jun 18th, 2011, 7:30pm

on 06/18/11 at 18:35:14, Swynndla wrote:
http://arimaa.com/arimaa/gameroom/comments.cgi?gid=187775

I was surprised with 8g, and I think it's not a good move for gold, but I'm not sure how to play to exploit it - I managed to tangle myself up, and along with mistakes I blew it. But what sort of general strategy should I have done from 8s on instead?

8s e->c5 nets you a camel holding a horse hostage, more or less.

Title: Re: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by Fritzlein on Jun 18th, 2011, 7:39pm

on 06/18/11 at 19:29:38, Swynndla wrote:
This one was very similar:
http://arimaa.com/arimaa/gameroom/opengamewin.cgi?client=1&gameid=187840&role=v&side=b
(same sort of move) ... but was I on the right track?

Instead of trying to rotate your E out of the frame, consider advancing the h7-rabbit to h5, then flipping the gold horse to h6.  It frees your elephant a little faster.  Also, when you use MH to hold his E pinned to H, and his M tries to break the frame, tying down your E too, on the rest of the board it is H vs. H.  That's harder to take advantage of than when your frame is held by HH, leaving your M free.

Title: Re: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by Swynndla on Jun 18th, 2011, 11:21pm
Ahh thanks Fritz! - yea I was scared to flip the H and move my e away as his E would attack my m, but yes that rabbit advance would have helped to defend my m.  Cheers!

Title: Re: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by Fritzlein on Jun 19th, 2011, 12:25am

on 06/18/11 at 23:21:46, Swynndla wrote:
yea I was scared to flip the H and move my e away as his E would attack my m

Yes, that will happen even with the supporting R advanced.  M holding H hostage is not as stable as the horse frame, but still valuable if you can navigate the complications in a sharp position.

Title: Re: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by chessandgo on Jun 19th, 2011, 5:39am
I agree with Fritz for the first game. For the second game, I think the elephant rotation is equally viable, but Gold's Horse jumping into b6 hurts you a lot. If you want to prepare replacing your elephant with a horse on 5s, I think ha5e instead of hb6e is better (takes 2 steps fewer to complete the rotation as you would be relocating the ha5 to b6 I suppose, on top of not allowing gold's Horse in).

Title: Re: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by Swynndla on Jun 19th, 2011, 7:43pm
Ahh yes thanks!  I'm realizing now that if I watch one of your games (from a top player like chessandgo or Fritz), it wouldn't be immediately obvious to me what the bad moves are, as you tend to play from a selection of good moves (and you're probably even at the stage where you "prune" the bad moves without thinking about it consciously).

Thanks for the tips!

Title: Re: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by Swynndla on Jun 21st, 2011, 5:41am
Fritz - one more thing if I may clarify - that rabbit advance, I've had sharp pull my rabbits and take them hostage or just take them (and even pulling them is bad as then I don't have it to help defend my camel), but is that ok because I'd have some tempo up my sleeve to do damage with my elephant over the other side of the board?

Title: Re: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by Fritzlein on Jun 21st, 2011, 10:34am
Yes, you have the gist.  It is very sharp and unstable.  The piece you put out in front of your camel to protect the camel is itself vulnerable.  It's generally a losing proposition to defend that piece with your elephant.  But your elephant on the other wing is unopposed by his elephant.  Hopefully you can generate some strong threats in a hurry.

Title: Re: bot_Sharp2010Fast vs Swynndla
Post by rabbits on Jun 21st, 2011, 1:24pm
This gets a horse frame in the first game: 10s hg6w hf6w dd6n he6w

I think the horse frame you had in the second game was good.  (Letting go of your own dog on 15s was not necessary though.)



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