Re: Keryo Pente Game Length
Posted:
Jan 16, 2023, 1:02 AM
I just did a small pseudo random sampling from the database and got 27, 17, 17 and 14 moves for keryo game length. For Pente, I got 14, 14, 13, 12. Good quality play long keryo games are likely to be maybe 5 or so moves longer than good quality long pro Pente games +/- (my sense/estimation).
Retired from TB Pente, but still playing live games & exploring variants like D, poof and boat
Re: Keryo Pente Game Length
Posted:
Jan 16, 2023, 3:40 PM
Hmm so it is a bit longer of a game then? Is it because the extra capture makes the situation more of a minefield I wonder? I've had quite a few notable games like that.
Re: Keryo Pente Game Length
Posted:
Jan 16, 2023, 3:44 PM
Having played a good amount of both, I would say the main difference is the variance in length, not the mean. Master-level pente games are generally 15 +/- 4 moves (maybe 90% in this range). Anecdotally, 15 does seem to be something of a magic number--the point in the game where the tide shifts from winning to won (maybe the game ends on move 17 or 18, but only due to stalling measures). I would guess that <5% of my games vs. masters go 20 moves or more, and some of those are among the most exciting, theory-defining lines in existence.
On the other hand, my typical keryo game is probably also close to 15 moves, but since (a) p1's advantage appears to be significantly reduced, (b) the capture rules mean about twice as many pieces are removed from the board as in pente, and (c) those same rules almost require all 3's to be immediately extended, you'll definitely see a longer tail with many more games going to 20-25 moves. This might pull the mean game length closer to 17 or 18 moves.
It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
