Hive 33 & 34

Oct 17 2016

Game 34

This first game I played white against a fairly strong opponent, one in the top 300 players. I was white, and black completed the opening sequence with a C, which I believe resulted in the draw.

At one point I was pretty sure I had lost the game, then it looked like I was going to win it by a move, then it came down to the draw. It might be worth replaying it from 5-6 moves back to see if I could force a win (or if black could force a win).

Hive game 34

Game 33

This next opponent was really weak. I played black here, and it was clear pretty early on I was going to win it. I probably played too sloppy here. The next time I get in a game with someone much lower in rank, who am I definitely going to beat, I need to take a minimal movement approach and see how moves I can win by. In this game, I won by 3 moves, probably could have won by 4, but I didn't really try.

Hive game 33

What to play next?

Deciding what to play next is always a tough call when faced with a closet full of games, all of which were purchased with intent to play. Here's one I'm dealing with the decision.

Something New: this means both something new to me and a game which has been published recently, within the last two or three years.
Something Classic: I've acquired a number of games properly considered "classic" which haven't yet been played. The current example would be PanzerGruppe Guderian.
Something Again: mastery requires constant practice, which means playing games many, many times to allow nuance to appear.
Something Vietnam: as I'm on a Vietnam binge. I don't have all the Vietnam games ever published, but I can say that I have a lot of them, and probably more than most people.
Something Obscure: as it's fun to poke around in the dustier corners of game design.
Something Different: break away from the same old publishers and try a game from one of the new kids on the block. Or, conversely, dip into legacy with a classic tried and true.
Something Light: once in a while it's nice to actually finish a game all the way through in one sitting, in an hour or two.
Something Heavy: if possible, it's nice to set up something big and complicated which can be left out for days or weeks or even months, for a leisurely stroll through a very large or long game.

There are surely many more ways to choose, but the above method keeps me busy enough, helps me get both breadth and depth into my play, and provides me with a sense of progress.

The odd man out

When there is an odd man out:

Have a solo game ready to play.
Keep score or advise on a game in progress.
Referee a game in progress.