Hive 51

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This game was a loss.

I played black, and for some reason, my head wasn't into it until later in the game, at that point I couldn't pull it out and lost to White by a single move. I almost had it, but white managed to do something very clever with the beetle after I closed a ring and jumped my hopper away.

The hopper had to jump, it was a game loser to leave it in place.

This game is worth replaying. Opponent actually thought he had me over a barrel much earlier in the game, but I had pretty good control on the perimeter. Perimeter control isn't enough. There is a subtlety I'm missing at a level below perimeter control.

It's also worth noting I could have forced a draw, but I actually thought I could win it after all.

Here's the final situation:

Hive Game 51

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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.