So, 9.g16 is exactly the kind of move that I would never think of and still don't understand at all. How does this address the connection of 8.i19 to the left side? Or does it improve white's chances on the right somehow?
On
2020-06-27 at 19:55,
Alan Hensel
said:
I see |9.L18 first, but sets up a line that does not feel secure at all. I want to present my opponent with multiple threats. I want to keep the connection to the bottom assured while improving the connection to the top. H15 looks like the peg that Black wants to go over or under, or go over by threatening to go under - whatever; it doesn't matter. Start with H15 and shy away, if there's enough space. Shy-away moves here may include |9.g14, |9.f16, |9.e15, etc. Those all actually look pretty good to me, but I haven't analyzed them in detail. They all set up a double threat to the bottom while improving the path to the top. For example, |9.g1610.g1811.l18, or |9.g1610.k1811.g20.
On
2020-06-28 at 11:39,
shyryan
said:
Okay. So shying away from your opponent's strongest peg along the axis they'd like to travel is a good heuristic for finding a good move, it seems. I didn't realize how much a peg at G14 improves L18 as a threat — I see now how it goes both ways. Thank you.
On
2020-06-29 at 09:34,
Peyrol
said:
Alan we should compile a glossary of your terms. :-)
We seriously should. There seem to be some good tactics resources, but very little material available to help beginners learn how to think during the opening. A few games with TwixtBot were enough to show me a) the first few moves matter immensely and b) I have no idea how to handle them. So I'm really grateful for all of your responses to these comments on random high-level games. : )
On
2020-06-29 at 19:51,
Alan Hensel
said:
David, a glossary of my terms? For what? "Shy away" seems somewhat self-explanatory to me, but "the Roskowitz maneuver" does not...
On
2020-06-30 at 07:47,
Peyrol
said:
Terms serve as mnemonics, a way to help remember patterns and concepts. Sometimes silly is good. I made up Roskowitz as a vague reference to the TV show Magnum P.I. where in one scene, Higgins refers to "The Rodmanavich maneuver" as "the most complex move in all of chess"
On
2020-06-30 at 08:40,
Peyrol
said:
But the MAIN point I should make is, a term such as "shy away" does indeed help, regardless of how self evident it may seem, because it attaches words to this concept. Language facilitates thought. Some other terms I can think of are
downstream peg: a tempo threat which assists a potential ladder in another direction
windmilling: a sequence of moves, usually in the opening, where players extend from the central region in a sequence which goes around the board in approximate 90 degree steps
Maybe that Twixt Wiki already did this?
On
2020-06-30 at 13:31,
shyryan
said:
Yeah, it's not so much that we need an explanation of the term "shy away" — I just want to know that the term exists and is a part of your thinking!
It was kinda quick game. My first big mistake was 6.m15 and from then it was already over (7.i15).
10.h12 was my last hope of passenger's mistake, but he played it perfectly.
What kind of mistakes could he make:
|11.h13 12.g10 13.k11 14.j13 ...
|11.j12 12.g20 13.l18 14.k15 15.k14 16.j17 ...
Yes white could get into trouble if |9.l18 right away. One possible line is 10.k15 11.k16 12.h12 13.k12 14.j13 15.l14 16.m9 17.k11 18.i6 and now the H12 peg improves black's connection to the left. One possible continuation is 19.j8 20.l7 21.i7 22.h8 (the Roskowitz maneuver) 23.j5 24.k6 25.l6 26.j7
downstream peg: a tempo threat which assists a potential ladder in another direction
windmilling: a sequence of moves, usually in the opening, where players extend from the central region in a sequence which goes around the board in approximate 90 degree steps
Maybe that Twixt Wiki already did this?