500 point giveaway!

[Daniel Espinosa]

Yikes, second time I made a move against 2P I wouldn't have normally made that was very likely bad. Don't drink and board game, kids

[blankoblanco]

So John, now it has you #3 on the ladder when you haven't lost a game this year? I know you said it's a bit wonky because of not a ton of players and games. But will the standings solidify over time, or are they always gonna bounce back and forth erratically?

You should obviously be #1 over Ryan. Robert sawyers is now #6 and I beat him in my first ladder game! It's just very weird. Wondering if I shouldn't bother paying attention to the standings at all. That'd be kind of a bummer since climbing the ladder was part of the motivation

edit: Also Chairman and Butterbean are #4 and #5 and Daniel beat both of them!

[JohnGalt2341]

So John, now it has you #3 on the ladder when you haven't lost a game this year? I know you said it's a bit wonky because of not a ton of players and games. But will the standings solidify over time, or are they always gonna bounce back and forth erratically?

You should obviously be #1 over Ryan. Robert sawyers is now #6 and I beat him in my first ladder game! It's just very weird. Wondering if I shouldn't bother paying attention to the standings at all. That'd be kind of a bummer since climbing the ladder was part of the motivation

edit: Also Chairman and Butterbean are #4 and #5 and Daniel beat both of them!

Yeah, when you beat a player that is ranked lower than you, you move up one spot in the ladder. And when you beat someone ranked higher than you, you take their spot in the ladder. So... when I was ranked #1 and aragon was ranked #2, aragon won a game against someone else and took the #1 spot. And then Ryan beat aragon to take the #1 spot. So... now I'm #3 and I have to win 2 games to get back to number #1.

So... to answer your question... the ladder rankings will always be bouncing around a lot. It wouldn't be so bad if everyone always had the same number of games going. But some players are more active than others so...if you only have 2 games going it's much harder to climb the ladder even if you are winning those games. But... if you always have 4 games going and you are winning most of those games you should always be near the top of the ladder.

I'm surprised nobody has challenged you yet. I think that will change soon. It's fun to climb the ladder and have a high ranking but I think my own ranking system would be much more accurate. I think most people in the ladder sort of know how good the other players in the ladder actually are regardless of their ranking. The ladder is fun though, even if it's not terribly accurate.

[JohnGalt2341]

blankoblanco vs aragon Preview:
Game started on 5-04. Currently on move #1

blankoblanco playing Green
Ladder record 3-0 Rank #13
Moneyline +400
Spread +25.5

aragon playing Purple
Ladder record 636-211-9 Rank #2
Moneyline -500
Spread -25.5

My analysis:
aragon is a very good player with lots of experience. I would rank aragon as the 4th best player in the ladder after me, Toptal, and Ryan. aragon plays a very non-aggressive style and this alone is usually enough to beat most players. aragon is prone to make subtle mistakes... particularly on the sides. blanko's best chance is to identify and capitalize on these mistakes. I think this will be a tough task for blanko with his limited experience. If blanko can force an unbalanced edge and take advantage of it later in the game I think he might have a chance. I'm going to predict that aragon's opening and mid-game will be too much for blanko and he won't be able to recover from being outplayed in the first half of the game.

My predictions:
aragon gets the tap out on move #34

Final score
aragon 58
blanko 32

I hope you prove me wrong on this one blanko... good luck!

[blankoblanco]

Yeah, definitely the strongest player I've faced on ladder, would be a bit of a miracle if I could pull it out. At least someone finally challenged me though!

[JohnGalt2341]

blankoblanco vs Joshua Preview:
Game started on 5-05. Currently on move #2

Joshua playing Green
Ladder record 192-86-2 Rank #12
Moneyline -200
Spread -10.5

blankoblanco playing Purple
Ladder record 4-0 Rank #13
Moneyline +150
Spread +10.5

My analysis:
This should be a good one. Joshua is not afraid to make aggressive moves on occasion but most of those moves are smart aggressive plays which is hard for many players to deal with. His openings are generally pretty strong but like most players he tends to get weaker as the game goes on. If he can thoroughly outplay blanko early and in the midgame I think Joshua's chances of winning are good. In order for blanko to win he'll have to play soundly early to midgame and exploit any mistakes Joshua may make on the sides. I think Joshua's experience may be too much for blanko at this time but it wouldn't surprise me at all if blanko wins this one. And in a couple of weeks from now I think I would likely pick blanko as he appears to still be improving at a very rapid pace. This game is a really good test for blanko. This game should be fun to watch!

My picks:
Joshua gets the tap out on move #37

Final score:
Joshua 50
blanko 40

This is another one I hope you prove me wrong on and I think you have a decent chance of doing so. Good luck!

[blankoblanco]

Am I already completely screwed against aragon? I thought move 3 looked fine but after his move 3 it already looks terrible. I'm just not familiar enough with these opening patterns. Probably doesn't help that this is my first game as green since the tournament

[JohnGalt2341]

Am I already completely screwed against aragon? I thought move 3 looked fine but after his move 3 it already looks terrible. I'm just not familiar enough with these opening patterns. Probably doesn't help that this is my first game as green since the tournament

Definitely not completely screwed. Move 3 was fine, its where I would have moved. This game is still pretty close but she(I think) is really giving you a lot of tough angles. You should be able to recover from this but there is a lot of room for error. aragon is playing well but it's far from over.

[blankoblanco]

Hm, alright, guess we'll see. I was just amazed at how quickly I seemed to lose nearly all mobility

[JohnGalt2341]

Hm, alright, guess we'll see. I was just amazed at how quickly I seemed to lose nearly all mobility

When I'm Green it often happens to me as well. I always think that I won't be able to recover, but I almost always do.

[JohnGalt2341]

Yeah, definitely the strongest player I've faced on ladder, would be a bit of a miracle if I could pull it out. At least someone finally challenged me though!

I challenged aragon a couple of days ago and Joshua challenged me today. So... we're playing 2 of the same players but I think we are playing the opposite colors in both games. But since I am playing these players right now as well... it will be neat for me to see if they play us both in a similar fashion. If we both win both games... I may have to challenge you next

[blankoblanco]

I challenged aragon a couple of days ago and Joshua challenged me today. So... we're playing 2 of the same players but I think we are playing the opposite colors in both games. But since I am playing these players right now as well... it will be neat for me to see if they play us both in a similar fashion. If we both win both games... I may have to challenge you next

Ha, okay, you can challenge me if I beat both. But I think that's about a 1% chance. I don't like where I'm at vs aragon at all

My game against 2P is definitely very interesting and new for me, trying some feisty moves. I think I should have the edges set up to be able to win on points but this is my first game like this so we'll see if I mess it up or not!

[JohnGalt2341]

Ha, okay, you can challenge me if I beat both. But I think that's about a 1% chance. I don't like where I'm at vs aragon at all

My game against 2P is definitely very interesting and new for me, trying some feisty moves. I think I should have the edges set up to be able to win on points but this is my first game like this so we'll see if I mess it up or not!

I just looked in on your games... you're playing great! Looks like you've recovered nicely against aragon and I would say it's extremely close right now. Joshua is playing even more aggressive than I expected. If I were to do a Live Line(move #9) on this one I think I would put YOU at -200 and Joshua at +150. I'm nearly certain you'll take down 2P but it might be a little challenging for you.

It seems as if you've played the perfect opponent for your skill level in all of your ladder games. Different styles with different challenges and you've stepped up in all of them so far. If you beat aragon and Joshua I think you should definitely challenge Ryan next. He's on a different level though. If you beat him I would be REALLY impressed. A win over aragon would also be really impressive and so far you are playing well and I think your chances are decent. This game could come down to who plays the sides better... and aragon has been known to make mistakes on the sides. I think this one is going to be close!

[Daniel Espinosa]

I just challenged you just for the lolz John

[JohnGalt2341]

I just challenged you just for the lolz John

DanielEspinosa vs Holden2341 preview:
Currently on move 1

Daniel playing Purple
Ladder record 2-2 Rank #15
Moneyline +2000
Spread +40.5

Holden2341 playing Green
Ladder record 693-26-2 Rank #1
Moneyline -3000
Spread -40.5

My analysis:
Daniel has his work cut out for him in this game. Let's keep this in mind though... Daniel is 1-0 vs BodaciousButterBean and BBB has 2 wins over me so... Daniel winning this game is definitely not unheard of, especially considering the abstract nature of the game. In MMA terms... he's got a punchers chance. Daniel's best chance in this one is to play conservatively and hope for/create a really unorthodox board with lots of bad angles. If he can prevent me from playing "my game" I think his chances are decent. This is easier said than done of course but it's not impossible. I expect the first 2 to 3 rounds of this game to be relatively close if Daniel doesn't play too aggressively. Once we get to around move #25 I think Daniel will be in over his head and his options will be dwindling. I expect Daniel to run out of moves at around move #30 or so, and after that it will be just a matter of time.

Years ago I promised to give the first person on SBR that beat me in a game of Hexversi 500 points... let's keep that alive here. Also, if Daniel can score at least 30 on me in a completed game I'll throw 100 points his way.

My prediction:
Daniel taps out on move #30

Final score:
Holden2341 65
Daniel 25

Good luck!

[blankoblanco]

GL Daniel! (gotta root for the underdog)

[blankoblanco]

My game against 2P is looking like it'll be the first game I've played that actually ends close on points, just hope I can get enough. It's been very interesting and I may have screwed up big somewhere

[Daniel Espinosa]

I was thinking of playing aggresively at first, because I think you said aggresive players do win sometimes against good players (increasing variace?). I'm not sure if playing conservately will lead me to something haha.

Anyway let's see how it goes.

[JohnGalt2341]

I was thinking of playing aggresively at first, because I think you said aggresive players do win sometimes against good players (increasing variace?). I'm not sure if playing conservately will lead me to something haha.

Anyway let's see how it goes.

Yeah, it happens on occasion. It's extremely rare though. I think I've only lost 1 game to aggressive play ever and even in that game it was a mix of passive and aggressive plays. I have had quite a few games where I NEARLY lost to aggressive play but I can almost always find a way out.

Some good players deal with aggressive play better than others. I usually thrive against aggressive players but I have seen some very good players get beat by aggressive play on occasion. I wouldn't recommend anyone to play aggressively regardless of who you are playing. It's just too risky most of the time and it seldom works against good players.

[blankoblanco]

Appears Joshua's gonna take me down. Was close and I definitely could have won if I made fewer mistakes

[blankoblanco]

Wait a second... tell me John, did Joshua throw away a won game against me in the last few moves (somewhere in the mid 30s) or am I crazy? I don't know what's going on anymore. I thought he had it, now I think maybe I have it?*

*For context, saying this after move 37

[JohnGalt2341]

Wait a second... tell me John, did Joshua throw away a won game against me in the last few moves (somewhere in the mid 30s) or am I crazy? I don't know what's going on anymore. I thought he had it, now I think maybe I have it?*

*For context, saying this after move 37

Boy... this game is complex! At move #32 it looks like Joshua should be able to win this but it's difficult to tell because of all the incredibly complex combinations. He doesn't have a lot of good options here. On move #32(and #33) I think Green(Josh) should have probably went to the spot diagonal to the lower left corner. Assuming you went to the spot diagonal to the lower right on your next move I think Green could have handed you the right corner by going straight across and then he could have taken the lower right corner.

This is all terribly complex... and I'm not sure if I'm right about this but I think Green could have gained a move in the upper right corner when it was all played out... that's assuming he didn't put a piece in the upper left part of the board like he has now. I think he may have been able to squeak out a win had he played it perfectly but I'm not positive. But now it looks as if you will win because he will run out of moves 1 move before you.

Move #35 was definitely a mistake for Green but I'm not sure that he would have won even if he would have went straight across because of the Green piece in the upper left corner would be taking away 1 of his moves in the future. Not sure if this makes sense at all... and I'm not sure if I am even right... but anyway...

Great game!! Congrats!

[blankoblanco]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who found it complex! Yeah, in the early 30s I thought Joshua would be able to gain the upperhand in moves. It's not like I did the math on points, but I just kind of assumed it'd be enough

Yeah, I also thought move 35 was a mistake from green, but yeah, it's possible it wouldn't have mattered? I took for granted some of the weirdness on the edges and how many pieces I'd actually be able to flip there even without getting a corner on the left side

Such a strange and interesting end game. And thanks!

[blankoblanco]

ffs, I think I blundered vs aragon and I was gonna win. Maybe still can but ugh

[JohnGalt2341]

ffs, I think I blundered vs aragon and I was gonna win. Maybe still can but ugh

Looks close! I think you should be able to pull this off.

[JohnGalt2341]

blanko vs Chair-Man preview
Currently on move 5

blanko playing Purple
Ladder record 6-0 Rank #9
Moneyline -240
Spread -21.5

Chair-Man playing Green
Ladder record (hidden) Rank #7
Moneyline +180
Spread +21.5

My analysis:
blanko is working his way up the ladder quite nicely and I'm expecting him to pick up another win in this game. Chair-Man will need to play conservatively if he wants to maximize his chances vs blanko. We're on move 5 right now and he's already playing far too aggressively in my opinion. For blanko, he just needs to keep doing what he's been doing in his last 6 games. I think blanko has enough experience now that he won't have a problem with Chair Man if he continues to be aggressive. I put the spread at only 21.5 because of Chair-Man's vast experience but I think there's a decent chance that this game could be a beatdown of 30 to 40 or more(if CM doesn't resign). If blanko wins this one I'd like to see him play any of the following players soon: dmoresco, Mr. Bruno, Scott Sitar, or sht10 as I think they are all on a similar level as blanko.

My prediction:
Chair-Man taps out on move #31

Final score:
blanko 56
Chair-Man 34

Official Picks record:
3-1 so far I believe.

[JohnGalt2341]

blanko vs dmoresco Preview
Move 1

blanko playing Purple
Ladder record 6-0 Rank #9
Moneyline -130
Spread -5.5

dmoresco playing Green
Ladder record 1-1-1 Rank #6
Moneyline +110
Spread +5.5

My analysis:
dmoresco doesn't have a lot of Hexversi experience but he's played nearly 800 Reversi ladder games, winning 61% of them. He's also 8-2 in the current Hexversi tournament winning his section in the first round and it looks as if he will win his 2nd round section as well. Granted, he was in easy divisions in both of them. I'm nearly certain he will finish last in the 3rd round(finals?) but he's still a very good player. This should be a really good game. In order for dmoresco to win I think he will need to outplay blanko early and ride on that momentum. I look for blanko to play soundly early on and force at least 1 unbalanced edge at some point and have just slightly better positioning by the end of the game and squeak out a win.

My prediction:
dmoresco taps out on move #37

Final score:
blanko 48
dmoresco 42

Picks record:
3-1

[blankoblanco]

Hmm, I kinda preferred it when I was the underdog Appreciate the votes of confidence though

[JohnGalt2341]

Hmm, I kinda preferred it when I was the underdog Appreciate the votes of confidence though

Well... you proved me wrong vs Joshua and it looks like you will again vs aragon. I feel like I may have underestimated you. dmoresco is coming off a recent win vs aragon as well... that's another one I wouldn't have predicted.

This should be an excellent game. If you win this one... I think you'll have to play either Ryan, Toptal, or myself to be a decent size underdog again. And if I know aragon... they will challenge you again in 2 weeks(you have to wait 2 weeks to play the same player in the ladder). Right now... I'd still make aragon a slight favorite in your rematch... but that could change.

Winning 7 Hexversi games in a row is damn impressive... for any player. Let's keep the streak alive!

[Daniel Espinosa]

I thought I had you for a moment John, but probably you were in control of the game since the first minute

[JohnGalt2341]

I thought I had you for a moment John, but probably you were in control of the game since the first minute

Great game!! This game was a lot closer than what the final score indicates. You played like a master for most of that game. You did a fantastic job of blocking my angles. I don't normally sacrifice so many corners but I didn't really have a choice in this game. I think move #33 saved me. I created an extra move for myself by sacrificing that corner and that's what saved me because it forced you to make a bad move. Had I moved anywhere else on that move and I think I would have lost.

This was a REALLY interesting game with lots to learn. I may post some key late game positions tomorrow. There are a few "tricks" I used in this game that I don't think I've talked much about but would be extremely useful for you guys to know, especially late in close games. If there are any positions you are wondering about... let me know... just tell me the move number and I'll attempt to explain my logic the best I can.

The next time we play... I'm pretty sure I won't put myself as such a heavy favorite. You had me sweating in this game and I was lucky to get the win. I threw 100 points your way because years ago I said I would give 100 points to the first 5 people that could score at least 30 on me. You're the 4th. Who's going to be the 5th???

I hope you continue to play in the ladder... you're very good. Thanks for the game!

[blankoblanco]

I had lost track on catching up on your guys' game, guess I was too focused on try-harding vs Joshua and aragon

Really interesting looking game. Very nice try Daniel!

Guess it goes to show that corners aren't everything, depending on the board state. But maybe the first time I've seen the winner with fewer corners. I'm sure there's a lot to unpack in this game. Looking through some of the moves and not even sure where to begin

So move 25 from green was the first corner sacrifice, and a move I just never would have even thought to make in that position. I probably need to remember not to tunnel vision too much on getting/giving away corners in situations where they're already surrounded and not highly valuable. Even without an immediate unbalanced edge to exploit, you can still get a move advantage

[Daniel Espinosa]

Thanks John!

Yeah I didnt understand why you gave me so many corners. 2 were tradeoffs, which were totally std, but the other 2...I was just hoping they were some major missclicks . You probably saw way too ahead, and I just couldn't. I screwed hard in move 35, after that I realized I was going to lose, but I was probably doomed even before that.

Ladder is fun, but I enjoy more the tournament format. I'd probably join the next one. There is one every month? The only bad thing is that they seem to take forever.

Blanko now it's your turn against John!

[JohnGalt2341]

Thanks John!

Yeah I didnt understand why you gave me so many corners. 2 were tradeoffs, which were totally std, but the other 2...I was just hoping they were some major missclicks . You probably saw way too ahead, and I just couldn't. I screwed hard in move 35, after that I realized I was going to lose, but I was probably doomed even before that.

Ladder is fun, but I enjoy more the tournament format. I'd probably join the next one. There is one every month? The only bad thing is that they seem to take forever.

Blanko now it's your turn against John!

Years ago there were small weekly Hexversi tournaments but now it's just easier to organize them because not as many people play at the site anymore. When the current tournament is over I will organize another one but that probably won't be for at least another couple of months or so. I'm hoping to be able to recruit at least 50 people for the next tourney so... it should be fun. If you and blanko are still playing by then I think your chances of doing really well in that tourney are excellent.

[JohnGalt2341]

I had lost track on catching up on your guys' game, guess I was too focused on try-harding vs Joshua and aragon

Really interesting looking game. Very nice try Daniel!

Guess it goes to show that corners aren't everything, depending on the board state. But maybe the first time I've seen the winner with fewer corners. I'm sure there's a lot to unpack in this game. Looking through some of the moves and not even sure where to begin

So move 25 from green was the first corner sacrifice, and a move I just never would have even thought to make in that position. I probably need to remember not to tunnel vision too much on getting/giving away corners in situations where they're already surrounded and not highly valuable. Even without an immediate unbalanced edge to exploit, you can still get a move advantage

Winning with 2 corners or less is extremely rare. I think I've only done it a handful of times. I won(46-44) one game while giving up 5 corners. That might be my favorite game ever.

Move 25 was a difficult decision for me. My biggest strength in Hexversi is playing the sides well and I always get irked when someone outplays me on a side. In the position below if Purple moves to spot A on his next move he will have outplayed me on the upper right side. I currently have no move on spot C so there is really nothing I can do to prevent it unless I move to spot #11. This creates a move for me in spot C and it forces him to make an immediate decision. If he chooses to not take it and takes spot A instead I will then take the upper side and will have outplayed him on that side while he outplayed me on the upper right side. Sort of a trade off. But if he chooses to take the corner, I can now move in spot C and force him into an unbalanced edge. Now I don't mind if he gets the upper right corner because I should be able to wedge in and I think that should be enough for me to win the game. I was waiting for him to move to spot X before I moved to 11 but I wasn't able to wait because I didn't want to be outplayed on the upper right side. This was a tricky move and I wasn't sure if it was gong to work. But I didn't like any of my other options. I was fortunate with the way it turned out.