Dearmer vs Magrat (Double Unlimited - Finished Game)

Yes. My favorite!

T G9 - G10 All right, let's try out this ultimate thingy-dingy. And your response. Do your worst.

d A6 - J14

d D13 - G13 (Does that seem like enough of my worst for you? )

T H9 - H10

Hm, did I even remember the Poons Offense correctly? I think not.... I must admit I haven't had time to follow your special thread, so you will be way ahead of me.

T G10 - H11

d K1 - K14

d G13 - B8

T G9 - G10

Yeah, you were doing it right, it's just that that was the weakest way of the three different opening moves. You're still making a good move, but you may be breaking away from the Poons Offensive (and now I'm changing the game!)

T G8 - F7

d D13 - K13

d A7 - E7

T J8 - K8

Sorry to say, I'll probably be away for the next day or so. I'm going out of town to a wedding, but will be back and posting again Sunday night.

T G7 - F8 x E7

d P7 - J13

I'll be travelling too tomorrow. See you Sunday.

d P10 - G2

T H10 - E13 x E14

T H7 - H6

d F15 - H13

d P9 - H2

T E13 - D12 x C12

T H6 - J6

d B11 - F15

T D12 - D13

d O11 - K7

d G15 - H15

T J7 - K6 x K7 So this is the famous series of feints, to spread out the trolls, but not too much, eh?

d M3 - F3

T J9 - H9

It's actually the better-known, less-discussed 'not-having-the-sense-or-guts-to-properly-marshall-dwarfs-in-the-first-place.'
I hope it still works...

Looks like a good strategy to me. You get the trolls stuck too far out to make effective shove lines, but not far enough to control the corners.

T J6 - J5

d L2 - L12

d N4 - H4

T H7 - H6

What I meant to say is that if it's working, up until only the last two or three moves, it's been entirely accidental. You've got a very decent block going in your own dwarf game, I might add.

T J5 - H6 Nice one. Didn't see that.

d N12 - N8

d H4 - F2 (and the beauty thing is that now I can use him to fill a hole)

T K8 - N11 x O11

T F7 - G6

d L12 - L13
That's the first time I've ever had occasion to use that emoticon...

d B8 - G3

T N11 - M12 x L13 x M13

T G6 - H7

d L13 - O10 x O10

Nope, sorry. I think you might have misanticipated what I would do.
I may have already decided that I should have gone after those two dwarfs in the P column, but I actually posted N11-M12 x L13 etc. Do you want to change your move, or do you want to let me have the better move?

too. I actually think your move is stronger because it puts a big ding in my block, so let's go for that. I was thinking you might go either way.

So, you having moved N11-M12 x L13, then

d K14 - M12 x M12

sorry again.

d J1 - H1

T H9 - G9

Well, unless you don't make the obvious move, I'm going to get one dwarf fewer than if I'd gone after the Ps. But if you think this way is stronger, thy psychological effect might be worth it in the long run

T H7 - J6 Struggling, here. Last time we played, wasn't it you with the good dwarf game, and me with the trolls?

d O5 - G12

Yeah, you would have gotten one more, but I'm going to have to work hard now with the hole in my block.

d K1 - H3

T G10 - H11 x G12

Truth be told, I've been studying up on DaS's games. Thankfully, he's played quite a few against *you*, so I've had a lot to study... (now I get to use it!)

T H6 - J7 Hmf.

d K13 - H11 x H11

d O5 - J5

T G9 - G11 x H11

Here goes nothing.

T K6 - K5 x J5

d J13 - H14

d H3 - K5 x K5

T D13 - E13

This is veerrrry painful...

T J6 - J2 x H2 x H1

d H13 - B7 See, I told you you were better off punching a hole in my block.

d G2 - J2 x J2

T E13 - F13

I think you *might* have been able to fortify that block a bit tighter (so as to make what I've been doing hurt a bit more) but it's all good!

A two-troll sacrifice to break up one block seems a bit much, but what was I gonna do?

T J7 - J4 x K5

d H14 - B8

One thing playing with Palm has taught me is when to give up on a block. That's mostly what I do when I play with Palm - give up on blocks.

d E14 - E3

T H6 - G6

As for the two-troll sacrifice, don't forget that I did it first in the other game.

As for when to give up on a block, that's still something that I'm learning. Perhaps my greatest weakness might be that I'm too quick to give up on them -- DAS said that during the tournament: that there were several times when he breathed a sigh of relief because I had abandoned somewhere too early.

OK - but don't you think it means we're doing something wrong?

T J4 - H4 x G3

d J14 - C8

d J2 - G2

T G7 - F7

I think that sometimes if you're playing hard, the casualties are higher...

T J9 - H10

d P9 - B9

d G14 - G3

T F7 - D5 x C4

T H4 - G4 x G3 x F3 Yeah, yeah, go ahead...three trolls down is the point at which I start feeling hopeless. You?

d J15 - C9

d G2 - G4 x G4

T F13 - E12

I'll agree that three trolls down looks pretty grim, unless you're sacrifcing one to open up a block (which I may be doing soon).

T F8 - F7

d A7 - A8

What is this occupation of yours with only one day off? Sounds a little rough.

d G4 - F3

T D5 - C5 x B5

It's actually not as bad as it sounds -- I'm an Episcopal priest, and contrary to popular opinion, instead of 'only working one day a week,' I'm pretty much on-call 24/6. I get one day a week that's my own, to do with as I will. Most people respect the day off, but I sometimes still get calls on Monday, so I have to make the most of the day. Hence my wife's insistence on quality time Mondays.

Ah...should have thought of that. I belong to a UU church, and our pastor gets Monday off too. (I was thinking, "security guard? hair stylist?")

That also explains how many moves you can fit in per day. My job description is basically "mom," which offers many ten minute blocks and almost no hour-and-a-half ones.

T H11 - H14 x J15 x G15

d P10 - C10

But don't let me keep you from your work.

d K15 - K3

T E12 - D11 x C10

Hmmm... I do like the 'security guard' idea.... Perhaps from a spiritual perspective...

Gosh. Never thought of it that way.

T H14 - G14 x F15

d B9 - D11 x D11

d L2 - G2

T C5 - B6 x B7

T F7 - F8 Pretty close to the end here.

d A8 - G2 and here too, I guess.

d K3 - G3

T B6 - B7 x B8 x C8

Hmmm... yeah, I think we're coming close to the end, cause I don't know that it's worth the trouble of hunting down trolls. (I also don't yet know if I'm clever enough to pull it off.)
Do you mind if we play a few more turns, just to see if anything presents itself? I promise not to let it get tedious...

T H9 - G9

d A10 - J2

Oh, sure, I didn't mean we were done already!

d C4 - F4

T J7 - H6