And the Winners Are...

1st Place - fwwwwibib

2nd Place - Mediocre Taborlin

3rd Place - Umbra

4th Place - Wren42


Thank you all for participating in my 100th Puzzle Contest!!

This has been a long time in the making and I think it turned out quite well. Maybe I'll organize another contest in the future...

I know everyone is anxious to see the answers, so I will post them below. I am mainly going to use fwwwwibib's response, because his answers were insanely thorough as well as being correct. I will also put my thoughts on each puzzle.


Puzzle #1 - E'lir

White to Play; White to Tinue

fwwwwibib:

The winning move is 3a2+111, to establish a two-way threat, but at 18 this would leave a win for Black at a2, so White must first force Black to disrupt their potential road by threatening tak with 2d3-11. The correct sequence is:

18. 2d3-11', b3- (or 2c3-)

19. 3a2+111"

Me:

Most people saw the winning move, but many got over-eager and went straight for the kill, missing the soft pin Black had on White's cap. 18. d2 also works to force Black to break their pin.




Puzzle #2 - Re'lar

Black to Play; Best Move and Why

fwwwwibib:

My preferred move is 39. ... 5c3-'. 

Relevant aspects of the initial position:

• White has tak, so Black must disrupt the road threat along row 2. 
• White has a hard cap on a2, and a strong stack on d3.
• Black has strong stacks on c3 and b4.
• There is a large stack of black flats on a3.
• Black’s cap is central, whereas White’s is on the edge of the board.
• Black has a potential e-w road threat from a1 to f4, and a potential n-s threat on columns a-c.
• White’s only realistic short-term threat is the e-w threat on 2. White has very little n-s potential and any horizontal threat on rows 5-6 is well covered by black’s walls on b4 and d5.
• Black has an 11-9 advantage on flat count, and only 4 pieces left in the reserve.

Black’s goals:

• Prevent White from creating a road.
• If possible, force a road win. If not, stay ahead on flat count and quickly play their remaining reserves to ensure a gaelet victory.
• Keep White’s cap isolated on the edge.
• If possible, allow the a3 stack to spread.
• Do not allow White any significantly flat-count-positive moves.

Advantages of 5c3-:

• Puts White in tak, thus taking control of tempo.
• Increases e-w road potential.
• Threatens large flat-count gain by spreading c2 stack east.
• Restricts options for White’s cap - it no longer has any positive e-w potential.
• Gives Black a connection on row 2 for a potential n-s road.
• Increases power and range of Black’s cap thanks to the black captive on c2.

Disadvantages of 5c3-:

• Leaves a3 stack vulnerable to a2 or d3.
• Puts Black’s cap in a less central position.
• Leaves d3 unrestricted.
• Does not bring game closer to completion by playing a piece from Black’s reserve (though due to the White road threat this is true for all of Black’s possible moves).

Likely White responses:

• 40. 4a2-. This is a win for Black as it puts the White cap in the corner and allows the a3 stack to spread.
• 40. 4d3>. This allows Black a +4 flat-count spread with 6c2>42. It also leaves more space for the a3 stack to spread if Black chooses.
• 40. e2+. I think this is White’s best response, as it breaks Black’s threat while decreasing Black’s future flat-count potential. However it is relatively passive and allows Black to maintain tempo and either place a flat or increase the road pressure by spreading a3 north or c2 east.

Other possible moves for Black:

• 39. ... b2>. This has lower FFCP[Future Flat Count Potential], and allows the White cap more options. It also allows White to retain tempo and does not develop Black’s road threats.
• 39. ... c1+. This is a more conservative move, allowing Black’s cap to remain more central and thus restrict the d3 stack. However it weakens Black’s potential e-w road, does not restrict White’s cap, has lower FFCP and creates a vulnerable stack.  
• 39. ... e3-. This has the same issues as c1+, without the benefits of gaining control of the black captive on c2, or having the stack protected by Black’s wall and cap.
• 39. ... 2c3- (or any other variation of c3-). This is similar to 5c3-, but has lower FFCP and does not create a threat. It also leaves behind a soft stack for no reason. 

Me:

It took a long time to find a board state that was challenging but also had a clear "best move". On the frame below, I have played out one of the possible endings to this game, continuing to make road and flat threats by Black until guaranteeing a Gaelet win. It's not the only way this can play out, but I think all branches starting with 5c3- end similarly.





Puzzle #3 - El'the

What is Black's earliest missed Tinue in this game?

fwwwwibib:

The earliest I can find is at 23. Instead of 23. b6, a2 Black should play:

23. b6, 6c3+24'

24. b6-, b4+"

Black can then win at either d6 or e4, and White cannot disrupt both threats.

Me: I like this kind of Tinue puzzle because you don't even know the starting position. It was made even harder because I think I found 3 or 4 different areas of the game where Black could force a road win. Many responders went with 23. ... 4c3+, which is a perfectly sensible move in this case. It doesn't expose Black to much liability, puts White in Tak, and retains a central capstone. Unfortunately, it gives White's cap enough movement to muddle things up. The Tinue I was looking for required an atypical stack spread to form the citadel, block out White's cap, and secure the win. 

Thanks again to everyone!

I will be contacting the winners via email, starting with first place. Once they have made their decision on which capstone set they prefer, I will move on to second place and so on.