Game 4: Nivolet vs. Me - 6/18/13 on iggamecenter.com

This is the 2nd of the 2 games played with Nivolet at iggamecenter. I sucked in this one too, just like the first.

1. b1-b3 a3-c5?
(...a2-c2 would be better)

2. c8xc5 a5-c3?
(Maybe ...h2-f2

3. e1xc3 a4-c4?

Three bad moves in a row. Black has limited the movement of white's pieces in column A. This is not going to go well.

4. g8xc4 a2-c2
5. b8-b6 a6-b7
6. f8-d6 a7-d7

Trying to walk around.

7. g1-d4
Black's last 5 moves have all connected.

...b7-e7
8. b3-d5
Enables d1xd7

...c2-e4
9. d1xd7 e4-g6
10. f1-d3

...h6xd6.
A hopeless attempt at defense.

11. d5-c6 e7-e5
12. c1-b2#

Lesson learned? Besides the horrible opening, my pieces in column H were totally useless in the endgame. Nivolet kept his pieces just out of reach of any counterattack.

Game 3: Me vs. Nivolet - 6/18/13 on iggamecenter.com

This is the first of 2 games I played with French competitor Nivolet at iggamecenter.

1. c8-c6 h7-f7
2. f8xh6 a4-c2
3. b1-b3 a2-d2

4. d1-f3
Better to be captured than blocked in.

...h5xf3
So far, the opening has been about white trying to block black in, and black escaping, either by moving out, or capturing pieces at the edge of the board. White is in a better position to start connecting.

5. c1xa3 f7-f4
6. f1-d3 h2-e2
7. e1-g3
The only move to avoid being trapped by 7. ...h4-f2 or f4-f2. But black soon uses this move to his advantage.

…a6xd3
(...e2-g4? 8. g8xg4)

8. g1-g4 a5-c3
9. g8-g5

Black tries to separate the 2 pieces on the h file, but he'll have trouble moving the rest of his pieces eastward.

...a7-a5
10. a3-b4 a5-c5
11. b8-e5 c5-d4
12. d8xd4 h3-g2

13. h6-f6??
c6xf3 or e5xe2 would have kept black in the game.

...h4-h3#

I was trounced. Nivolet forced me to make escape moves, and those moves put me in a bad position to connect.

Game 2: Arty Vs Me - 4/20/13 on iggamecenter.com

The 2nd game played at iggamecenter. Trying it this time with photos from my 

iPhone. Black vs. white pieces.

1. e1-g3 h3-f5

2. b8-e5

A gift for white. But I was more concerned with being blocked in.

...h4-f4

3.g1-g4 h6-e3

4. g8-e6

g8-g5, followed by c8xf5 would have been better, creating a stronger wall.

...h2-f2

5.d1-d3

Another gift. This one I saw.

...h7xd3

6. c1xa3 a2-c4

White is starting to connect, although not too solidly.

7. c8-c6 h5-h6?

Oops! Ruins a5xe5, a move that should have been played by now.

8. f8-d6 a5-b4

9. e8-e4 a7-d4

White is almost connected, but the lone piece at h6 is having difficulties joining the party.

10. e6xc4 a4xc6

11. d8xd4 c6xe4

h6xd6 is much better, preventing the next move.

12. d6xd3

With these 3 moves, black has decimated white's connections, while creating a new wall.

...f2-f6

13. a3xe3 h6-e6

14. f1-b5 b4-c5

White recovers nicely, threatening mate with a6-d6.

15.b5-c6

Blocks mate

...e6xc4

16.c6xe4 a6xd3

17. g3xd3

Threatens mate. White misses it

...c4-d5.

Also threatens mate, but too little, too late.

18 b1xf5#

A lesson in counterattacking and paying attention to the pieces on the edges of the board. White had a connection in the 2nd diagram, but black had 4 moves that would break it. This was a close game I will visit again in the future, as I feel that it would be worth analyzing the some of the positions.

General Strategy

Here are some thoughts about general strategy in Lines of Action. Some might be obvious, and some are gleaned from the annotations of Dave Dyer over at the Lines of Action homepage over at Boardspace.net.

1. As in chess, it is better to try and centralize your pieces during the opening. Moving to the center increases that piece's mobility and therefore gives it more chances to connect.

2. Counter-intuitively, having less pieces on the board does not make it easier to connect. It decreases your choice of movement.

3. However, it is best not to capture your opponent's pieces haphazardly. Any capture should also enhance your position. Capturing a lone piece at the edge of the board does nothing and may actually help your opponent.

4. The best moves are those that connect your pieces while blocking your opponent's pieces or breaking one of their connections.

As in chess, these rules are not to be strictly followed all the time, but should be adjusted due to the nature of the position. But these are good rules to have in mind while playing.

Game 1: Me vs Arty - 4/20/13 on iggamecenter.com

This is the first of 2 games I played against the programmer at iggamecenter.com, back when I was only playing every couple of months. And off we go...

1. c8-c6 a4-c2

2. c1xa3

Trying to escape a possible wall.

...a2-d2

3. d1-f3

Another escape route.

...h7-e4?

This allows e1xe4 with no counter-play.

4. e1xe4 a7-c5

5. d8-d6 a6-c4

6. a3-d3 a5-d5

7. b1-b3?

b1-e1 is better.

...h5-e5

8. f8-f5 h4xe4!

Removes a vital connecting piece and keeps black's pieces separated.

9. e8xe5 h6-f4

10. c6-e6 h2-e2

11. g1-e3??

The losing move of the game. This allows c5xe3 with red capturing a vital connecting piece while connecting himself. 

...c5xe3

12. f1-e1

Trying to avoid h3xf1#, but it's now mate in 2 no matter what.

...h3-g2

13. e1-f2 g2-g4# (or ...g2-f1#)