From: dbush@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (David Bush)
Newsgroups: rec.games.abstract
Subject: Re: Let's start off with TWIXT (was Re: What???)
Date: 13 Nov 92 15:40:52 GMT
Organization: Virginia Tech Computer Science Dept, Blacksburg, VA

jerry@uni-paderborn.de (Gerald Siek) writes:

>"Jonathan R. Ferro" (jf41+@andrew.cmu.edu) wrote:

>: O = RED (opponent) (moves first)
>: @ = BLACK (me)
>: 
>: Note: only the central portion of the board is shown in this diagram.
>: 
>:            RED
>: 
>:    . . . . . . . . . .        1. RED plays.
>:    . . . . . . . . . .
>: B  . . . . . . . . . .  B     2. I play so as to block his longest possible
>: L  . . . . O1. . . . .  L        doublecross move
>: A  . . . . .\. . . . .  A     3. RED, eager to get a bridge, fails to
>: C  . . . . . O3. . . .  C        play with tempo.
>: K  . . . . . . . . . .  K     4. I jump out with a large double-x and proceed
>:    . . . . @2. . . @4.           to march toward either of my goal sides.
>:    . . . . . . . . . .           Anytime one of my doublecrosses is threatened
>:    . . . . . . . . . .           I just fill it in.
>: 
>:            RED

>Hmmm .. haven't played Twixt for a while but there should be a number of
>ways to counter this rather simple strategy:

>     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0		  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
>   a . . . . . . . . . .   		a . . . . . . . . . .
>   b . . . . . . . . . .		b . . . . . . . . . .
>   c . . . . . . . . . .   		c . . . . . . . . . .
>   d . . . . O1. . . . .   		d . . . . O1. . . . .
>   e . . . . .\. . . . .       or	e . . . . .\. . . . .
>   f . . . . . O3. . . .   		f . . . . . O3. . . .
>   g . . . . . . . . . .   		g . . . . O5. . . . .
>   h . . . . @2. . . @4.		h . . . . @2. . . @4.
>   j . . . . O5. . . . .		j . . . . . . . . . .
>   k . . . . . . . . . .		k . . . . . . . . . .

>This move obviously blocks the		Another possiblity to attack the
>double cross between @2 and @4		double cross.  If you connect the
>If you play g7 or k7, I will		bridge, I may play j4 which also
>play g4 and you are blocked.		blocks you connection.

>Regards,
>	Jerry
>--
>  Gerald Siek  -  jerry@uni-paderborn.de  -  University of Paderborn, Germany

Well, Jerry, if the game board were only 10x10 I would agree with you that red
could win in either of the ways you show. However, on the full 24x24 board
black may be able to prevail, depending on just where on the board this
position is located. For example, in your first variation black could answer
j5 with k6, linking to h5. If red then plays g4, double linking to j5 and f6,
black comes back with j4, linking to k6. This would be particularly strong for
black if the "diagonal" j4-k2-l1... eventually reaches black's border instead
of red's. In the second variation, black might try responding to g5 with k4,
linking to h5. If red then plays j6 linking to g5, black could "fall back" with
n7. Red's second move of the game, f6 linking to d5, violates the opening
principle that you should not start a fistfight too soon. The opening phase
is a time to "stake out territory." For example, red might have played h1
instead of f6. Black might then make some distant move between red's d5 peg
and red's upper border. A well-played game frequently fills up most of the
board. I hope this makes sense.

Hope your Friday the 13th has been lucky for you.
Dave