As a relatively new twixt, player, there are so many things I don't follow when I see advanced players play. If someone has the patience to explain a couple things to me, that'd be very much appreciated. A few questions:
1) Why did white play 37.c8 rather than 37.j5? I guess in practice it doesn't make much difference, either way white has a connection to the top, but just curious.
Here's the way I understand it :
1) 37.c8 not only allows to connect white to the top. It gives some power in trying to prevent black h11 to connect left
2) 6.k8 provides some influence both left and right in the top
...but there are some moves I don't understand very well myself :
3) 12.l6 : Makes black more or less to connect to the top right while putting some pressure on the left white side ?
4) 13.h12 : Makes white to prevent a black attack to the top left (13.j1714.e7) and avoids black to connect too easily in the center ? (13.f714.j14)
5) Why 39.e18 and not 39.e20 ?
|40.e21 was a brilliant move by Klaus - it prevented White from getting the c19 peg that he needed, and left that d16-e15 gap.
2) |6.k8 is more than just "some influence"; it is a general opening pattern. Notice how play is spinning clockwise around the board, starting with |2.j10. It's a "windmill" opening. It would have continued going clockwise, but White made a mistake. His |7.r11 did not connect well enough to the top. Suddenly the windmill reversed, ending with Black's |10.h18 peg. In a windmill opening, the first person who can no longer make a good windmill move is generally losing; that's why it continues as long as it can. That's also why great players are so hard to beat: there is a lot of careful judgment that goes into early moves, when there is so much empty space on the board. So, I think |7.q10 would have been better; the windmill would have probably proceeded clockwise, and it's hard to see where it stops. Someone will eventually run out of space.
3) |12.L6 - because as of move 11, Black cannot connect his j10-k8 group to the left edge, but he can make a threat to connect if White doesn't respond. It probably makes no difference on the right, but good Twixt players instinctively use the lightest touch that works. Here, if White lets Black place an e7 peg, without first changing the situation on the left, Black will have an unchallenged path across the top and an easy victory.
4) |13.h12 - because White also instinctively uses the lightest touch that works. So the question is: how does this shut down Black's e7 threat? Here's one way: |14.e715.h716.g617.g518.h819.i920.i1021.j11. That was a very light touch!
1) Thierry is correct - |37.j5 would have probably turned out just the same, but good Twixt players instinctively open up a double threat if it creates any threats at all on the other side. He might not have even considered |37.j5. |37.c8 just jumps out as the thing to do.
On
2011-06-25 at 20:54,
Thierry Pertuy
said:
@Alan : Thank you for your enlightening explanations, especially on the windmill. I understand and agree with the "lightest touch" principle. I'm feeling that feeling it is feeling one of the most important in Twixt...
49.c13 50.d12 51.d11
1) Why did white play 37.c8 rather than 37.j5? I guess in practice it doesn't make much difference, either way white has a connection to the top, but just curious.
2) What is the thought process behind 6.k8?
Thanks!
1) 37.c8 not only allows to connect white to the top. It gives some power in trying to prevent black h11 to connect left
2) 6.k8 provides some influence both left and right in the top
...but there are some moves I don't understand very well myself :
3) 12.l6 : Makes black more or less to connect to the top right while putting some pressure on the left white side ?
4) 13.h12 : Makes white to prevent a black attack to the top left (13.j17 14.e7) and avoids black to connect too easily in the center ? (13.f7 14.j14)
5) Why 39.e18 and not 39.e20 ?
|40.e21 was a brilliant move by Klaus - it prevented White from getting the c19 peg that he needed, and left that d16-e15 gap.
2) |6.k8 is more than just "some influence"; it is a general opening pattern. Notice how play is spinning clockwise around the board, starting with |2.j10. It's a "windmill" opening. It would have continued going clockwise, but White made a mistake. His |7.r11 did not connect well enough to the top. Suddenly the windmill reversed, ending with Black's |10.h18 peg. In a windmill opening, the first person who can no longer make a good windmill move is generally losing; that's why it continues as long as it can. That's also why great players are so hard to beat: there is a lot of careful judgment that goes into early moves, when there is so much empty space on the board. So, I think |7.q10 would have been better; the windmill would have probably proceeded clockwise, and it's hard to see where it stops. Someone will eventually run out of space.
3) |12.L6 - because as of move 11, Black cannot connect his j10-k8 group to the left edge, but he can make a threat to connect if White doesn't respond. It probably makes no difference on the right, but good Twixt players instinctively use the lightest touch that works. Here, if White lets Black place an e7 peg, without first changing the situation on the left, Black will have an unchallenged path across the top and an easy victory.
4) |13.h12 - because White also instinctively uses the lightest touch that works. So the question is: how does this shut down Black's e7 threat? Here's one way: |14.e7 15.h7 16.g6 17.g5 18.h8 19.i9 20.i10 21.j11. That was a very light touch!
1) Thierry is correct - |37.j5 would have probably turned out just the same, but good Twixt players instinctively open up a double threat if it creates any threats at all on the other side. He might not have even considered |37.j5. |37.c8 just jumps out as the thing to do.