Posts:
983
Registered:
Mar 7, 2006
From:
Philadelphia, PA
Age:
38
Open Challenge to All TB Pente Masters -- Financial Incentives
Posted:
May 23, 2026, 7:35 PM
I have recently undertaken a personal quest to achieve a 2843 tb-pente rating and dethrone the great pente_gon.
The current dearth of active TB masters makes this quite an uphill battle. I have devised several potential opening novelties, which I believe may pique the interest of many retired masters, but it may not be enough. In an attempt to remedy this, I have decided to offer rating bounties in the form of up-front payment for playing a rated tb-pente set with me (time limit 5-7 days per move). Remuneration table below.
2400+: $10 2500+: $20 2600+: $30 2700+: $40
Must be an established tb-pente rating. Multiple challenges may be sent, but I will only accept and pay out for one challenge at a time. Payments may be adjusted for exceptional challengers. Message me directly or respond to this thread if interested.
Thank you, Karlw
It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
Posts:
2,249
Registered:
Mar 4, 2007
From:
San Francisco
Age:
45 Home page
Re: Open Challenge to All TB Pente Masters -- Financial Incentives
Posted:
May 24, 2026, 1:32 AM
Im fairly busy lately. I have a full time job and also running a bussiness. Plus family.
That said im not sure you want to challenge me. As you know we are pretty evenly matched. And im extremely thorough in deep study. There's a chance I could sweep you to be honest. Let me know, and ill let you know when I get a window of time opened up.
Scire hostis animum - Intelligere ludum - Nosce te ipsum - Prima moventur conciliat - Nolite errare
Posts:
983
Registered:
Mar 7, 2006
From:
Philadelphia, PA
Age:
38
Re: Open Challenge to All TB Pente Masters -- Financial Incentives
Posted:
May 24, 2026, 2:07 AM
Hi Zoey,
I expected you'd be one of if not the first to answer, and I'm happy to see it. No need to work out a schedule, just challenge me whenever you are free.
Will you be claiming the $20 bounty, or is the opportunity to sweep your old rival enough incentive for you?
PS - I have a full time job and a family as well
It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
Posts:
2,249
Registered:
Mar 4, 2007
From:
San Francisco
Age:
45 Home page
Re: Open Challenge to All TB Pente Masters -- Financial Incentives
Posted:
May 26, 2026, 4:35 AM
If you dont want Semitry, then dont do p2 moves that allow it. Limiting P1s moves seems odd. And why have both send and both have to start at same time? That seems like it could be hard to coordinate. Seems complicated. Why it cant be one set with me, and you do another set with another master? Im not understanding your motive in the rule design. And im not sure i will have time to do 2 sets simultaneously.
Scire hostis animum - Intelligere ludum - Nosce te ipsum - Prima moventur conciliat - Nolite errare
Posts:
983
Registered:
Mar 7, 2006
From:
Philadelphia, PA
Age:
38
Re: Open Challenge to All TB Pente Masters -- Financial Incentives
Posted:
May 26, 2026, 4:42 AM
I'm okay with discarding the restriction in P1's second move. It's only there to guarantee four wholly distinct openings.
The reason for multiple simultaneous sets is just that it's more interesting and perhaps gives P2 slightly better chances overall. We can just do one at a time if you prefer.
With simultaneous sets, the reason for simultaneous 1st moves is to prevent one player from constantly waiting to see the other's moves and deciding what to play based on that, which you could argue confers an advantage. When I played pente_gon, we arranged that we sent our opening moves to watsu in advance of playing them, so that neither of us would get to be influenced by the other. It made for some great pente.
Finally, I don't exactly see any other masters beating down my door asking to play rated sets with me, even with the cash incentive. Do you?
It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
Posts:
2,249
Registered:
Mar 4, 2007
From:
San Francisco
Age:
45 Home page
Re: Open Challenge to All TB Pente Masters -- Financial Incentives
Posted:
May 26, 2026, 4:53 AM
Also, I dont care about my tb rating much. If you prefer I could play with zero study, just playing through my phone, and likely lose. But your wins would be less victorious.
Scire hostis animum - Intelligere ludum - Nosce te ipsum - Prima moventur conciliat - Nolite errare
If you care about chances, why not to play Swap2 Pente which is much closer to equality than a regular Pente?
You say (and I completely agree with it) that P1 should be winning in Pente; it is not yet solved somewhy (or we don't know about the solution) but yet it is beyond any reasonable doubt. So you offer a sprint with one athelete running 90 meters while another is running 100 meters and vice versa. Usain Bolt will outpace a lot of others even with such a handicap, but it seems to be a nice idea to equalize the chances to avoid spamming 1-1 results.
I understand that it is technically another game on this site, but c'mon, current rule (forbidden square for P1) is an opening rule too. Renju/Gomoku evolution went through it and decided that forbidden square is bad for balancing the game. Swap2 or Tarannikov's rule (5 swaps) is far better. So if you'd like to play me, well, we can play swap2 or Tarannikov. I'm not 2400 on the site atm, so feel free to ignore me, I'm not a master (-;
Posts:
983
Registered:
Mar 7, 2006
From:
Philadelphia, PA
Age:
38
Re: Open Challenge to All TB Pente Masters -- Financial Incentives
Posted:
May 26, 2026, 3:03 PM
Swap 2 rules aren't properly implemented on this site. No point in playing until they're fixed.
I've also discussed with several other players on this site (including you) my feelings about how the swap rules and the ability to play on the corner of the board present more than enough annoyances to me that I prefer to deal with the often overblown P1 advantage people love to cite as the reason they run away from direct confrontation with me in the battlefield of pure pente.
It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
Posts:
983
Registered:
Mar 7, 2006
From:
Philadelphia, PA
Age:
38
Re: Open Challenge to All TB Pente Masters -- Financial Incentives
Posted:
May 26, 2026, 6:16 PM
Still doesn't feel complicated enough. There needs to be at least two more choices midway through the game for it to be fair. Any time I feel like I'm losing, I should have the option to switch sides, like when I play gramps in chess.
It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
