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Topic: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Replies: 14   Views: 49,443   Pages: 1   Last Post: May 17, 2020, 1:53 PM by: watsu

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watsu

Posts: 1,442
Registered: Dec 16, 2001
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A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Apr 4, 2019, 6:13 PM

It was with great sadness that I learned last night that Rollie Tesh passed away earlier this year. He was truly a Pente legend, having first played the wedge as P1, successfully analysed the hammer position, created the awesome Pente puzzle Quincunx, proposed the Pente variant Keryo Pente and won the 1983 Pente Championship in Boston among other Pente achievements.

https://www.forevermissed.com/rollietesh/

I can think of no more fitting tribute I can make to his Pente greatness than to post for you here as a puzzle the only live game he played here as a demonstration of how far outside the box you would need to think to beat his live first player Pente game even when he was rusty. The second player can make a move somewhere in this game to guarantee herself a sure win in nine moves. Can you find a winning move (and the continuation) against Tesh's player one? PM me if you think you know the answer to this puzzle. Now, if your name isn't Scott Justice, do you think you could have found a player two win in a timed over the board game against him in his prime?




Tom Braunlich told me in an email that Rollie's sisters "put his ashes in balloons, filled them with helium, and let them go."

Retired from TB Pente, but still playing live games & exploring variants like D, poof and boat

watsu

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Registered: Dec 16, 2001
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Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Apr 6, 2019, 6:54 AM

Just to clarify here, the win in nine moves includes the move which diverges from the line this game took and assumes that player one prolongs the game as much as possible. And, I don't need a complete beginning to end solution, just the first five moves by player two will be sufficient.

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watsu

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Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Apr 10, 2019, 10:14 PM

Pente_gon was the first to reply with the solution I had in mind here. Congratulations!

Retired from TB Pente, but still playing live games & exploring variants like D, poof and boat
watsu

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Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 15, 2020, 10:56 PM

A replay of this game on youtube, h/t to invictus:
youtube.com/watch?v=lNFbF1_eZLQ&t=0s
and, quite a bit of discussion of this game occurred in this very long thread (mostly near the beginning of the thread) https://www.pente.org/gameServer/forums/thread.jspa?forumID=1&threadID=4561&start=0


Message was edited by: watsu at Mar 15, 2020, 11:16 PM


Retired from TB Pente, but still playing live games & exploring variants like D, poof and boat
tin_can

Posts: 26
Registered: Jun 1, 2019
From: Richardson, TX
Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 16, 2020, 2:36 AM

From which move was the puzzle supposed to start?
The imbedded game is showing the last move for me in Chrome.

watsu

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Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 16, 2020, 3:47 AM

Figuring out where the puzzle diverges from the game is part of the puzzle. I know that's not standard, but I figured a Tesh memorial puzzle deserved to be extra tough

Retired from TB Pente, but still playing live games & exploring variants like D, poof and boat
tin_can

Posts: 26
Registered: Jun 1, 2019
From: Richardson, TX
Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 16, 2020, 11:54 PM

I'm going in circles and maybe overthinking this... P2 can wrestle away momentum at move 7, but like grabbing a dog by the ears, I don't know where to go from there.

Move 7
P2-L11
A threat of a capture at N8 then at N11 kills white's attempt at a tessera and takes away momentum. I assume white will see this and block instead of pushing forward with a M10 or even a J10

White blocking at H11 is a death sentence since Black will go to N11 then take 2 captures at N8. So...

Move 8
P1 M11
P2 H11

Move 9
P1 G11
P2 N8???

This is where I think I am falling apart here... P1 can wrestle back momentum quite easily with L12 and eventually J12 to slice and dice P2 with captures.

tin_can

Posts: 26
Registered: Jun 1, 2019
From: Richardson, TX
Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 17, 2020, 12:00 AM

Move 9
P2 O9 is pretty cool... and has a lot of potential.

watsu

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Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 17, 2020, 12:21 AM

Up2ng's post on this page https://www.pente.org/gameServer/forums/thread.jspa?forumID=1&threadID=4561&messageID=19793 goes into some details on 7. ... L11, which several of us explored in depth for a couple if hous around that time without finding a successful line for P2 (which doesn't mean one doesn't exist, of course). When I have a bit more time I'll take a look at your ideas in more depth.

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invictus

Posts: 433
Registered: Jan 23, 2009
From: north carolina
Age: 48
Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 17, 2020, 2:21 AM

a fond memory for me as i was fortunate enough to watch the game live.
RIP rollie.
and ty watsu for honoring him.

bloodied but unbowed
watsu

Posts: 1,442
Registered: Dec 16, 2001
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Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 17, 2020, 3:49 AM

@ tin_can - you said:
"Move 9
P2 O9 is pretty cool... and has a lot of potential."

I'm not sure what you saw here, perhaps you meant 9. ... O10? However, both of those moves look to lose to 10. N13 followed by 11. M12

@ invictus - I think that game was probably the most memorable Pente game I've watched played here (or anywhere, actually).

Retired from TB Pente, but still playing live games & exploring variants like D, poof and boat
tin_can

Posts: 26
Registered: Jun 1, 2019
From: Richardson, TX
Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 17, 2020, 11:25 PM

P2 at O9 turn 9 attacks the two pairs. If white tries to make a tessera it becomes a painful capture-fest.

Move 7
P2-L11

Move 8
P1 M11
P2 H11

Move 9
P1 G11
P2 O9


I'm not really sure what N13 buys at this time, maybe I'm playing this out poorly.

Move 10
P1 N13
P2 L12 (captures and has an open 4)

P1 can't go M12 due to the open 4, so either M11 or capture at L13

Let's try the capture route...
Move 11
P1 - L13 (captures)
P2 - L11 (open 4)

Move 12
P1 - M11 to block
P2 - N12 (captures)

Move 13
P1 - M11 to block
P2 - M14 (captures 3rd pair)

It looks pretty bad for white... the other tree where white blocks first is far, far worse.

Now what if white tried N12 instead of N13...

Move 10
P1 N12
P2 L12 (captures and has an open 4)

Move 11
P1 M11 (<<< This was edited from a typo.)
P2 N8 (capture)

Now if white doesn't take the momentum with O13, Black will walk all over the board with ease with the multiple options to create a tria.

Move 12
P1 O13
P2 L10 (for the win after the capture and replace)


If White extends at L12 to prevent the capture, then I'm more at a loss...
Move 10
P1 L12
P2 N12 (capture)

Move 11
P1 M11 (block)
P2 G13 (to prepare for a tria (J12) or split three (H12)

At this point Black has the upper hand still threatening the M9N9 pair to slow any momentum white can build.


Message was edited by: tin_can at Mar 17, 2020, 11:46 PM


watsu

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Registered: Dec 16, 2001
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Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 18, 2020, 12:31 AM

Sorry, I thought you were diverging from the game line at move 9 with O9, rather than continuing a divergence at move 7. I'll take a fresh look later tonight.

Retired from TB Pente, but still playing live games & exploring variants like D, poof and boat
watsu

Posts: 1,442
Registered: Dec 16, 2001
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Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: Mar 18, 2020, 7:45 PM

"Move 7
P2-L11
A threat of a capture at N8 then at N11 kills white's attempt at a tessera and takes away momentum. I assume white will see this and block instead of pushing forward with a M10 or even a J10

White blocking at H11 is a death sentence since Black will go to N11 then take 2 captures at N8. So...

Move 8
P1 M11
P2 H11

Move 9
P1 G11" with
P2 O9 is very good! So far at least, I have my doubts that P1 will be able to win it... but in defense of my puzzle I think that P1 may be able to hold out for longer than nine moves against the divergence starting with 7. ... L11 and continuing with 8. ... H11 and 9. ... O9

Retired from TB Pente, but still playing live games & exploring variants like D, poof and boat
watsu

Posts: 1,442
Registered: Dec 16, 2001
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Re: A memorial Pente puzzle for Rollie Tesh - RIP Rollie
Posted: May 17, 2020, 1:53 PM

I've posted an analysis thread for this game with solutions and variant lines in analysis. Don't look there unless and until you've given up here.

Retired from TB Pente, but still playing live games & exploring variants like D, poof and boat
Replies: 14   Views: 49,443   Pages: 1  
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