Re: Improving D Pente from its current implementation
Posted:
Jul 13, 2020, 7:29 AM
"Since a lot of play can happen near the edges now, I wonder if the edges of the board should have been allowed to be used for captures, much like in Go." - rainwolf
Hmmm, well that'd be a different game for sure... Let's try to consider how it would function differently, shall we? First off, in D and DK as currently implemented, the edges can serve at least a couple of functions. When seeking a balanced proposal, one can use an edge or corner to: 1. Block lines of extension which would be winning in the center of the board, for examples: a. what in the center of the board would be an open 4 might end up being a 4 blocked by the edge in D, or b. a fukumi or an extension to create a keystone pair which is possible in the center of the board might not be playable on the edge 2. Prevent captures from occurring, thus making some lines fail (or succeed) by protecting an otherwise vulnerable pair
Now, if the edges of the board are allowed to be used for captures, I think the game might become more like edge poof D. For simplification purposes, I won't attempt to extend the analysis to DK. Let | represent the board edge. Then in the cases of |o_x and |_ox the _ spots should probably now be poofs and the |oo pair can be captured by a single x stone. Otherwise, it seems as though the edge is not consistently performing as a capture facilitator as in Go if the _ spots can be played into without a capture, as play between two pre existing stones without capture is allowed in regular Pente. Based on this quick and dirty analysis, to my mind edge capture would be more aligned with and suited for poof D and DK variant possibilities than with D and DK.
Retired from TB Pente, but still playing live games & exploring variants like D, poof and boat
