tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63448755651406850102024-02-28T15:42:44.655-08:00Tak ThoughtsDelving into the beautiful game of Tak to help rookie and veteran players alike. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-14057357481868510462023-12-05T03:41:00.000-08:002023-12-05T03:41:07.167-08:00PAX 2023<p> Hello all!</p><p>I'm back from PAX and dreading going back to the real world :). The convention was back to full capacity (and then some) for the first time since COVID. This put a strain on some of the events, but as with every board game convention I have attended, the attendees are all super well-behaved. This is what you get when you build a gathering around people that have chosen a hobby which relies heavily on rule following.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7rluGDeWNHAuGNX0o7MR3eq1mqaKeuhoCM78TZrOCDn1KKVa1a9PgKVw1XwkADpmoI4RwQhpGxlx1_6CapdL6IR-w8TB4TBrYQjuApBRt_Vn5VBt50bABn8Pb1vkjuEOo2EssKC19J0pMWbHxYqE8rnr1dM9moUg-4C9DFM3Uwjt__vyd0R1VmfgwyLX/s4080/PXL_20231203_022541379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7rluGDeWNHAuGNX0o7MR3eq1mqaKeuhoCM78TZrOCDn1KKVa1a9PgKVw1XwkADpmoI4RwQhpGxlx1_6CapdL6IR-w8TB4TBrYQjuApBRt_Vn5VBt50bABn8Pb1vkjuEOo2EssKC19J0pMWbHxYqE8rnr1dM9moUg-4C9DFM3Uwjt__vyd0R1VmfgwyLX/s320/PXL_20231203_022541379.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>This was the first convention for my oldest child and they had a blast! We left at 3am and filled the 8-hr drive there with D&D podcasts and chatting, getting settled into our hotel room about noon. Two friends met us there and we snaked through the aisles and admired all the wares, ending up on the game library end of the hall and claiming a table. From there it was game after game after game. We played some co-op and some 'take that' games, mixing in a light card game or a snack break to keep mental and physical energy up. A quick walk across the street to the brewery for dinner and then we were back to the table, where we stayed until they kicked us out at midnight.<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfKOOsFS_jdk-nLIxH5LMgrNqKDxzoJYXKj3pl3C53Pk4tl5GF5JCaUDCmEeQZEum_5JOwrm3lqcG9cMcxvCQtWBucjFg5sj1kPOTZdIQWIuMETjEdsBoWQzc3orpdfh80rFlgeHrmftcZ3i3jHzO16v_cQKhmRW95zlfaDl_opdwjhwd2isUgwYCJf3X/s4080/PXL_20231203_010925233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfKOOsFS_jdk-nLIxH5LMgrNqKDxzoJYXKj3pl3C53Pk4tl5GF5JCaUDCmEeQZEum_5JOwrm3lqcG9cMcxvCQtWBucjFg5sj1kPOTZdIQWIuMETjEdsBoWQzc3orpdfh80rFlgeHrmftcZ3i3jHzO16v_cQKhmRW95zlfaDl_opdwjhwd2isUgwYCJf3X/s320/PXL_20231203_010925233.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><p></p><br /><p>We started day two with cheese boats from The Marketplace. I had never experienced this dish before, but it's a Georgian dish and it was a wonderful, buttery start to the day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1sMiHE8SKW_t0FCxfhvkjbvMIUyk-YM7gw-iXHOyhCFE5MG932Agh8MX-xNkq2IEPbarAMHwEiBitRagQyFGj8JHpwsZIckW2_cic_J_O-4UmxetkN3AGsrWCTKck5nb5liD6WWZ5WQGVhJYWxqeWRNAx72_2PFZtmToPCQBwvavSKDwt-VFxmYbX5rd/s4080/PXL_20231202_143555186.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1sMiHE8SKW_t0FCxfhvkjbvMIUyk-YM7gw-iXHOyhCFE5MG932Agh8MX-xNkq2IEPbarAMHwEiBitRagQyFGj8JHpwsZIckW2_cic_J_O-4UmxetkN3AGsrWCTKck5nb5liD6WWZ5WQGVhJYWxqeWRNAx72_2PFZtmToPCQBwvavSKDwt-VFxmYbX5rd/s320/PXL_20231202_143555186.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We decided to paint miniatures as our first stop of the day. This involved more waiting in line than actual painting, but we made the most of it getting to know our line neighbors and joking around with each other. I wasn't a fan of the paints we used (speed paints (aka contrast paints)), but now I know to stick with my acrylics and oils! I got it to mostly turn out the way I wanted in my allotted time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4aF076epytgsBazoKdgPaB28cd3ZNCWblvjhRTjJ36KSSh4Y8E5Oyf0aea1Uz5JK3VBpwkY7gr2lq5hqKwD3-Yp8E5yI5TPqp1rOHH1L1Vfz2mTYczhz8ABYsKf6rf33o73hoVx5R3SJCR8Q5QgBqI40Od0lsfF0sNdJuF4a-GYuWPXFsctyxfIPOkkm/s1971/PXL_20231202_180941457~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1971" data-original-width="1792" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4aF076epytgsBazoKdgPaB28cd3ZNCWblvjhRTjJ36KSSh4Y8E5Oyf0aea1Uz5JK3VBpwkY7gr2lq5hqKwD3-Yp8E5yI5TPqp1rOHH1L1Vfz2mTYczhz8ABYsKf6rf33o73hoVx5R3SJCR8Q5QgBqI40Od0lsfF0sNdJuF4a-GYuWPXFsctyxfIPOkkm/s320/PXL_20231202_180941457~2.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From there, I had to run back to the room to get the Tak supplies and set up for the tournament. We had a great turnout this year - selling out in 5 minutes!!! Next year we will explore adding more events to this growing convention. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The tournament was Swiss format and everyone got 4 rounds in before our time slot expired. Everyone walked away with something (besides some great games of Tak), including copies of my Level I book, USTA coins, Playtak.com stickers, and the PAX medal. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRAiRsLJA07MgDCHNqvrX72zy0n_QAvWOcI-ywLKkLYTAaNJQni5b00LUR6Cpox-slqhKXSJ7KHC8StZV0XbIt_i4Fm64AXSEEOUM1sya9SgggJ3jWbUZiUwFMEtll9RJLng7REkiaQGPLv8C2VW9_W0OAhGgBAA1w9YikL8jjuV4vVzhWis9hyvdSQsv/s4080/PXL_20231202_193745134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRAiRsLJA07MgDCHNqvrX72zy0n_QAvWOcI-ywLKkLYTAaNJQni5b00LUR6Cpox-slqhKXSJ7KHC8StZV0XbIt_i4Fm64AXSEEOUM1sya9SgggJ3jWbUZiUwFMEtll9RJLng7REkiaQGPLv8C2VW9_W0OAhGgBAA1w9YikL8jjuV4vVzhWis9hyvdSQsv/s320/PXL_20231202_193745134.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtCBGG3G7798_R1mrd_NKjUjYF26Njc-_36bwGp9Fx4j3u7uKXKPk80aKtGIG5Bc1sHG32Vyvw7xSjtAofbNx3KwZaMqABVFy_dlL1VeG89gMEx9mh8hdwpksgnlFwLnGVmcEp116X29D-qw7QfRYr-bg4RzRNBPeqcRcMCrfL_ZLJZHXaOTUF5uvo9mk/s1954/original_bdb022bd-e659-4071-ad4d-cf3f3082a21c_PXL_20231202_203536346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1954" data-original-width="1911" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtCBGG3G7798_R1mrd_NKjUjYF26Njc-_36bwGp9Fx4j3u7uKXKPk80aKtGIG5Bc1sHG32Vyvw7xSjtAofbNx3KwZaMqABVFy_dlL1VeG89gMEx9mh8hdwpksgnlFwLnGVmcEp116X29D-qw7QfRYr-bg4RzRNBPeqcRcMCrfL_ZLJZHXaOTUF5uvo9mk/s320/original_bdb022bd-e659-4071-ad4d-cf3f3082a21c_PXL_20231202_203536346.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the tournament, I booked it to the hotel room to put away my things and we were back out onto the streets of Philly to walk to our dinner reservations. We had Little Nona's and it was the best meal of the trip. Little Nona's is a back-alley Italian joint. And I literally mean we ate in their extension which is an alley with a roof on it. The food and service were spectacular.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLekxIh7w7i9HzGqYb325rBVov4Mjr-Nvwz5UFFQScpws4eSkrlcHQFd9Yc5zgZ_2NjfdM6o1MLYjZJd2uhz631J9Q5ZY3Hn89PoEGUTrDb46H-haZPJOdCRfZ8DO1NIiIX7D7OpBPkLfrxerBIJnfr-qb0xxAqgB4797SGp0SQ7rlYykpL6_ri7xupjg6/s4080/PXL_20231202_230601370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLekxIh7w7i9HzGqYb325rBVov4Mjr-Nvwz5UFFQScpws4eSkrlcHQFd9Yc5zgZ_2NjfdM6o1MLYjZJd2uhz631J9Q5ZY3Hn89PoEGUTrDb46H-haZPJOdCRfZ8DO1NIiIX7D7OpBPkLfrxerBIJnfr-qb0xxAqgB4797SGp0SQ7rlYykpL6_ri7xupjg6/s320/PXL_20231202_230601370.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From there it was back to the convention center and back to board games! We had a couple hours to play games from the library and filled them with a replay of one of the games from Friday as well as some Princess Bride themed games and the first few rounds of a Viking-themed exploration game. We had to cut that one short so we could get to our escape room appointment...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...which we solved! Barely beating the buzzer (3 minutes left on the clock), we solved the Game of Stones themed room. This was also my oldest child's first escape room, so I'm really bringing them into the fold of board game (and adjacent) nerd-dom.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>It was too late to go back to the hall after that, so we went to the room and played card games until our eyes crossed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sunday is always the worst day because it means leaving, but we made the most of our few hours there. Breakfast at Schmear It and then a run through the expo hall to pick up the things on our list. Then some sad hugs goodbye to our friends and a long car ride home, where my oldest refused to nap...right up until they fell asleep :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday was my recovery day, which basically means laundry and house chores and worrying about what all I missed at work. But, I did find time to play my Tak Open match against Abyss and do some crafting. Nothing I can share at the moment since I'm making Christmas gifts, but I will post after the holidays.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did install my quick swap kit from Snapmaker so that I can go from laser to CNC to 3D printing in a couple minutes instead of 15 minutes of removing and reinstalling tiny screws. I look forward to getting my shop fully operational next year, once I have fulfilled my non-Tak promises.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you are interested in getting your project on the waiting list, please see my site and fill out the contact form. <a href="https://www.beautiful-upgrades.com/">https://www.beautiful-upgrades.com/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd26XE-nRoP9sQgSmUOFnLjnONkZVQNhQP5b716VLzqt6h4p4rFm4K9hzvwbj2BLvcIqs-ZbbkbtX5yV-FRUSODO8T1C00kbmchqQgHNCjAFWajlQ6q-snDoYt4vF7yIyvPadB20XktvbmFtN5NHKZ8CxS7LkQGHlbFd89ZmL8wgcnukkBfl2Ty9WlFfS/s4080/PXL_20231204_154437831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd26XE-nRoP9sQgSmUOFnLjnONkZVQNhQP5b716VLzqt6h4p4rFm4K9hzvwbj2BLvcIqs-ZbbkbtX5yV-FRUSODO8T1C00kbmchqQgHNCjAFWajlQ6q-snDoYt4vF7yIyvPadB20XktvbmFtN5NHKZ8CxS7LkQGHlbFd89ZmL8wgcnukkBfl2Ty9WlFfS/s320/PXL_20231204_154437831.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0n4x4jPt3lwZUELq5uvTGQ0cFpJDKFJCqqKNWp0FaCEQJ6oCzFMf2-w_nFw2DLBCeOF8DwWS6Es2FfO-cAZg41Oi4ghwL-AJ9swiWRUazoM5VUsocBXQp952SEuDJC9I7hIx3vFKjy8CjltTIZNo3iV2K-RKlL4fZQjbrKP0l6Ju_nKrwMStUU1VpSLsc/s4080/PXL_20231204_154505303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0n4x4jPt3lwZUELq5uvTGQ0cFpJDKFJCqqKNWp0FaCEQJ6oCzFMf2-w_nFw2DLBCeOF8DwWS6Es2FfO-cAZg41Oi4ghwL-AJ9swiWRUazoM5VUsocBXQp952SEuDJC9I7hIx3vFKjy8CjltTIZNo3iV2K-RKlL4fZQjbrKP0l6Ju_nKrwMStUU1VpSLsc/s320/PXL_20231204_154505303.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div><br /></div>That's all for this episode. Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-25299521449195733932023-12-05T02:53:00.000-08:002023-12-05T02:53:15.764-08:00My Creative Process<p>I published this in the summer Capstone Quarterly this year and didn't ever publish it here. I'm sending it through now (12/5/23): </p><p><br /></p><p>Hello all!</p><p>I have been in the garage working hard to get my GenCon prizes done in addition to finishing out the administrative work of the latest USTA Beginner Tournament and putting the final touches on my intermediate level strategy guide <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Tak-Level-road-greatness/dp/B0CCCS42VL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2807ZEROC0KD1&keywords=mastering+tak&qid=1690116035&sprefix=mastering+tak%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Mastering Tak: Level II - the road to greatness</a>. With all this creative output, I have been doing some self-analysis and pondering over my creative process in general. In this post I would like to walk through how I go about a project.</p><p>Most of my projects are chosen instead of assigned. The USTA may need a prize for an upcoming event, but that can take the form of a capstone, a board, a full set, a trinket, a trophy, or anything in between. Other projects are begun because an idea struck me and I am curious to see if it can live outside my brain, where physics and other annoying things dwell. And some projects are started so that I can work on a particular skill that I am interested in or have not used in a while and want to ensure that it does not atrophy.</p><p>The creative freedom allowed by this relationship with my projects can be paralyzing. If I have the ability to work on anything, that can lead to working on nothing. Philosophical problems like Buridan's Donkey examine this problem. In this hypothetical situation, a hungry donkey is placed between two identical piles of hay and starves because it cannot decide which to go to since they are identical in every respect. The modern crafting world actually compounds this problem of choice with the availability of software and hardware that can bring to life almost anything.</p><p>So, I combat with a two-fold approach - constraints and "crappy drafts".</p><p>Paradoxically, constraints enable creativity. By assigning or discovering limits to a design, you give yourself both direction and challenge, which turbocharge the creative process. Imagine the difference in productivity between asking you to "build me a doo-hickey" and "you have 3 weeks to build me a wooden top that looks like a Viking shield". Both are projects, but I guarantee that the more highly constrained version will produce better results. Therefore, I highly recommend making a list of constraints after envisioning a project. After you have this list, you can determine which are "hard" constraints and which are "soft". A hard constraint cannot be worked around. An example would be a firm deadline, the form of a project (i.e. if you are making a Tak set, it must meet the requirements of a Tak set), or a fundamental restriction like "you can only use 3D printing to form your parts". Soft constraints are everything else - materials, tools, budget, current skills, etc. The soft constraints can be adjusted. I can learn new skills, increase the budget (if I have it and the project warrants it), and acquire more tools. Additionally, I can look at the basics of the project and stretch some of the parameters (i.e. Tak requires differentiation of walls and flats; what if we do this by inscribing a 'W' on one side instead of physically standing it up?). After examining the constraints, I get to the second part of my anti-paralysis.</p><p>"Crappy drafts" are the cold water approach to swimming. Don't be like the kid that slowly walks into the water until it reaches their thighs and then runs out screaming. You have to just jump in and get wet first. Your first draft should be crappy. Don't spend all day adding embellishments to your flats before seeing if the general shape feels good to play with. I generally like to sketch some things on physical paper, then roll those ideas around my head, then prototype them. Design software can help reduce material wastage, but there is no substitute for a physical prototype. Therefore, I like to get one of these as quickly as possible, so I can discover pros and cons of an idea as quickly as possible and adjust the direction of the project early. Luckily, hobby-level 3D printers exist. </p><p>After I have crappy draft that falls in line with my constraints, the rest of the project is just a matter of refinement and "Ah-ha!" moments. I live for the Ah-ha! They are why I craft. Some of these moments put the current project onto a new track. Other times they inspire future projects. But they are always an enjoyable rush.</p><p>The last advice I want to give in this article is to learn your tendencies. I am impatient when it comes to getting my ideas out of my head and into the world. This can lead to rushing steps that shouldn't be rushed. This is exacerbated by the fact that I have a limited amount of "hobby time" and like to accomplish as much as possible during those short spans. I have learned to deal with this by always having multiple works in progress. This allows me to not rush<i> x</i> project because I can go work on <i>y</i> project. For example, last weekend I was in the garage with a project running on the 3D printer. While I was babysitting the first layer of that, I was sanding pieces from another project. Then, when the first layer finished, I put a coat of primer on another set of pieces and went inside to do some final editing on the computer. This allowed me to let the 3D printer work and the primer to cure without me hovering over everything getting frustrated at how long it was taking.</p><p>I hope you enjoyed a peek behind the scenes. Feel free to ask me questions!</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-38245266375573763322023-11-05T07:09:00.003-08:002023-11-05T07:11:31.420-08:00Big News (and more big news I forgot to post earlier (oops))<p> Hello all!</p><p>I've been so caught up with life, work, and projects that I've already promised people that I forgot to update you on Mastering Tak: Level II. It's out and available! (Now also in Kindle format, though, just like Level I, I cannot guarantee readability on all devices).</p><p>For interested parties in the US, you can get it <a href="https://a.co/d/ip9zlpD" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>. If you live outside the US, try going to your local Amazon site. For example, amazon.de is the German site. Since the book is printed on demand, you can potentially save a lot on shipping and also get it much sooner than buying it from the main Amazon.com site.</p><p>In related, but <i>newer </i>news, I have started on some opening supplements that will explore the main lines of each of the three main openings currently popular in Tak: The Hug, The Knight, and Center Claim. I plan to publish in that order, starting with The Hug, due out in Spring of next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unrelated to writing, I have FINALLY been granted a craftsman license for Tak!!!</p><p>What this means is that I am approved to sell my capstones, boards, and full sets at cottage industry quantities. I have delayed announcing this (and honestly should continue to delay) because this unfortunately comes at a time when I am in the middle of a bathroom remodel for a coworker, handmade Christmas gift production for friends and family, the incoming holidays, a work trip, and PAX Unplugged.</p><p>That is not to say that I am not completely thrilled to get the license. It is just that my shop will not be tooled up for Tak until the end of the year or early next. I already have a few commissions once that happens, and if you would like to get your name on the books for one of my offerings, or discuss a completely new idea, please drop me a line on my <b><a href="https://www.beautiful-upgrades.com/home" target="_blank">website</a> </b>via the contact form.</p><p>Thanks everyone!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.beautiful-upgrades.com/home" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="554" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHSRmHDp70TWBIzLBFWWPIIvCRg1UU_bxa6l3OGyCPkxV7aTqAG-xc2JjadmnEW6_Xe7fDT9fNKPM4L4przO_7YMg2mtz1sBpck-klZ_6cfNBYoOdbHSoee7cpGg9jhOUNC1NoSm1R-OLwJX6rZt8VIHYrstMOAIXv2DWE6o3bxIfanHRQidRgOpRhSYH/w324-h400/beautiful%20upgrades%20logo%202.png" width="324" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-91352138859130501702023-06-11T10:37:00.000-07:002023-06-11T10:37:10.223-07:00General Update - 1st Half of 2023<p><span style="font-family: times;">Hello all!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">It's been a while since I used this medium to communicate with the community (I'm primarily haunting the <a href="https://discord.gg/TMjqRDaV72" target="_blank">Discord </a>these days, with a smattering of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rabbitboy84/?hl=en">Instagram </a>(@rabbitboy84) crafting updates). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">I thought that this halfway point of the year would be a good time to dust off my keyboard and get to it. Not that my keyboard is actually dusty since I have been pecking away at it all year while working on Mastering Tak Level II, my intermediate guide. I am in the proofing stages now -- writing is done, cover art is finalized, and copyrighting is in progress. I will update the community when it goes live in another month or so.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsv67WtAOsA7bFuO6O0Cmjig6ZCBkDW6qIWypGLMOUYWNgCOPH22JaS6UEWT5D4f1oL0MzRBwNBvL7FD6RpzVuBLlv8P_qmZp0NXZwwhAkY57XJp8Z_VXT-15i_uMWMx5GjKiiWI4udl-JIiR0XJmuCLV3ibAdEFUVQKmSn2rUxBlSkNMTxTl-o5cuQ/s3048/PXL_20230518_011109785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3048" data-original-width="2695" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsv67WtAOsA7bFuO6O0Cmjig6ZCBkDW6qIWypGLMOUYWNgCOPH22JaS6UEWT5D4f1oL0MzRBwNBvL7FD6RpzVuBLlv8P_qmZp0NXZwwhAkY57XJp8Z_VXT-15i_uMWMx5GjKiiWI4udl-JIiR0XJmuCLV3ibAdEFUVQKmSn2rUxBlSkNMTxTl-o5cuQ/s320/PXL_20230518_011109785.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zMpAOXAzoelaq8HFpYLo9Lzc79H_tM0ZWGJbDw8M2IWas1DZ7slVgP27YoTR3djyyoyto5DFa3QLsSFUoYoGw6YrbhpbrK7FC6PPlQgk6k6jDgh0oJvXiqjWCPWjMgubSyvwJzXAtoHv225cO_gZGA2cpauykSpe6lzirz599rH_b-J0a3ZU38fbFw/s3072/PXL_20230518_011155016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="3072" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zMpAOXAzoelaq8HFpYLo9Lzc79H_tM0ZWGJbDw8M2IWas1DZ7slVgP27YoTR3djyyoyto5DFa3QLsSFUoYoGw6YrbhpbrK7FC6PPlQgk6k6jDgh0oJvXiqjWCPWjMgubSyvwJzXAtoHv225cO_gZGA2cpauykSpe6lzirz599rH_b-J0a3ZU38fbFw/w400-h156/PXL_20230518_011155016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Quite the size difference between I and II<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />That's one rather large iron that I have in the fire, but I've still been trying to get smaller projects/objectives accomplished along the way. Besides the general US Tak Association administrative duties and Beginner Tournaments, I am getting ready to represent Tak at GenCon in August. We are running 12 <a href="https://www.gencon.com/events?search=%22Tak%22" target="_blank">events</a> this year and adapting our format slightly based on feedback and observations from years past. I highly encourage anyone reading this to attend this convention -- GenCon is an incredible experience!<div><br /></div><div>For GenCon prizes, in addition to our USTA coins, Playtak stickers, and commercial sets provided by Greater than Games, I have been out in the garage making some capstones. </div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGUU-a92dFI-fj9zTn2uwkdbHG1ckRkF5VjfGDhyfBH6uG-uI1DcpNgVcJnSAHK5A8cEiag-gOziY2nJ34fjAxIs7jbLaYQCcxpIJXDz2V-oD3_V33M8eJ77eVKGSsPT2Hodi-zyT9-1qkPQyAA5O0rjkORS1ha4FYiP51SLEJ_dTZv-i2Cw9tus1kQ/s3079/PXL_20221120_122345412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2412" data-original-width="3079" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGUU-a92dFI-fj9zTn2uwkdbHG1ckRkF5VjfGDhyfBH6uG-uI1DcpNgVcJnSAHK5A8cEiag-gOziY2nJ34fjAxIs7jbLaYQCcxpIJXDz2V-oD3_V33M8eJ77eVKGSsPT2Hodi-zyT9-1qkPQyAA5O0rjkORS1ha4FYiP51SLEJ_dTZv-i2Cw9tus1kQ/s320/PXL_20221120_122345412.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Our new playtak.com logo on a swag sticker.<br /><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntk0Aw_7TTtVBTcdtHFtHjrAOTuwKT3knGYoCKgwAzEbF6oYOIPI-mF-0odEP8DbrsUDJqAy5fBBFK_IbKw7bSbU6IyD-PFFg73AkE7rVTzo_2FE92aNdVdq3XrhmphQRCwBNeuiRjttHRLZ4ZY4xL2aeed_uJpb_389K-EeQESKeMdhR-XU59FOPVw/s3454/PXL_20220909_210757865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2096" data-original-width="3454" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntk0Aw_7TTtVBTcdtHFtHjrAOTuwKT3knGYoCKgwAzEbF6oYOIPI-mF-0odEP8DbrsUDJqAy5fBBFK_IbKw7bSbU6IyD-PFFg73AkE7rVTzo_2FE92aNdVdq3XrhmphQRCwBNeuiRjttHRLZ4ZY4xL2aeed_uJpb_389K-EeQESKeMdhR-XU59FOPVw/s320/PXL_20220909_210757865.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This challenge coin was delayed and missed GenCon last year, but will be a hefty piece of swag for tournament participants this year.</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got a lathe for Christmas and have finally gotten it out of the box and spinning. Turning wood and wood/resin is surprisingly relaxing -- I only have three turnings under my belt at this point, but I can see this becoming an important part of my future creations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeTl91sWZ4FAnL25YhJk9TNtqtRPjrrrHphoEYovG4NV-DDSIjQB1xqsp1-F5U-ulf1390yadGnx9hVJdsS68rCSoiFNigmxIbKTcjy1ye3zBpryNsLLKOTlo2PHZuDCzb6hW7hMIj3U3U3s5hBUWsxxE42YkOz1Nvbgr0e1ig2Z7pFhn2gYdAEDHLw/s1538/original_003dee11-050c-4c4e-aab3-4bcf0c2c58b5_PXL_20230528_173449766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1538" data-original-width="1538" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeTl91sWZ4FAnL25YhJk9TNtqtRPjrrrHphoEYovG4NV-DDSIjQB1xqsp1-F5U-ulf1390yadGnx9hVJdsS68rCSoiFNigmxIbKTcjy1ye3zBpryNsLLKOTlo2PHZuDCzb6hW7hMIj3U3U3s5hBUWsxxE42YkOz1Nvbgr0e1ig2Z7pFhn2gYdAEDHLw/s320/original_003dee11-050c-4c4e-aab3-4bcf0c2c58b5_PXL_20230528_173449766.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Maple and Purpleheart in the classic style.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijreT6pfJOP3dmn8IBEsE4LD9drUa7PNqEGm84zjO0Z-kxIw6tbjyv148bF3sVls1TjMECC8Sk12viomo2vSqYLYuYmqTYe_NcuD8sx5vVtOBpXVNHJqzxzwCsb1lDuHIgKqfdhS43QlUZIbJxk9LfH5GEKI6Lor3TPFSbLnAnq4P0yxA-yYHeiE7tuw/s1543/original_3f8309e5-4c4c-4fec-b52f-4e49faba5b02_PXL_20230611_124813700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1543" data-original-width="1543" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijreT6pfJOP3dmn8IBEsE4LD9drUa7PNqEGm84zjO0Z-kxIw6tbjyv148bF3sVls1TjMECC8Sk12viomo2vSqYLYuYmqTYe_NcuD8sx5vVtOBpXVNHJqzxzwCsb1lDuHIgKqfdhS43QlUZIbJxk9LfH5GEKI6Lor3TPFSbLnAnq4P0yxA-yYHeiE7tuw/s320/original_3f8309e5-4c4c-4fec-b52f-4e49faba5b02_PXL_20230611_124813700.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Water" - carved and turned olivewood, oil paint, and resin.</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Although the lathe is awesome, it just cannot match some of the other methods that I use. Here are the non-turned capstones for GenCon:</div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MIjMNfmZ_o3JbcXcf4YrMx105_kE8h1xvISsSVnWvpskXbQm016bSBSScRnUEETZwYLa8HfufpV9EUgkNT22iTJdBfNA2f-IFQQ6Miof1811cNOaGmJJkBRY7AQ9Q69n89A6KHEOZOelOmymuB5a3jSTJiZJ1N5Kc5zai5iIB8jdTSbiL4tJuWMRsA/s2453/original_3076c9f5-ceb0-4598-aba6-1925501ea006_PXL_20230611_123237729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2453" data-original-width="2452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MIjMNfmZ_o3JbcXcf4YrMx105_kE8h1xvISsSVnWvpskXbQm016bSBSScRnUEETZwYLa8HfufpV9EUgkNT22iTJdBfNA2f-IFQQ6Miof1811cNOaGmJJkBRY7AQ9Q69n89A6KHEOZOelOmymuB5a3jSTJiZJ1N5Kc5zai5iIB8jdTSbiL4tJuWMRsA/s320/original_3076c9f5-ceb0-4598-aba6-1925501ea006_PXL_20230611_123237729.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The companion to the last shown capstone ("Water"), this is "Fire"- carved ebony with oil paint and resin.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNO5fGdOylEGZoEBnmR71tleHAfIibpTmRoMBjn36ofpBowH9s7lIh5JeQSKCwqFFn75heIsuKsqk8GK53SmtdpWy0DwgrR6jxv9fUKE1dpuQB9RvSH6mF4EBtjYe7R7DFzGyOjZZXb0MxdGnk28tl209PDoxDi9KF8cX5nVIknvuS79hHgAnGO0fkJA/s1678/original_bc40cc48-fec1-41d1-b7ae-21861dfbe46d_PXL_20230611_122611315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1678" data-original-width="1678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNO5fGdOylEGZoEBnmR71tleHAfIibpTmRoMBjn36ofpBowH9s7lIh5JeQSKCwqFFn75heIsuKsqk8GK53SmtdpWy0DwgrR6jxv9fUKE1dpuQB9RvSH6mF4EBtjYe7R7DFzGyOjZZXb0MxdGnk28tl209PDoxDi9KF8cX5nVIknvuS79hHgAnGO0fkJA/s320/original_bc40cc48-fec1-41d1-b7ae-21861dfbe46d_PXL_20230611_122611315.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And here they are together, steaming up the board.</i></td></tr></tbody></table></i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-x-mCc8YTZKT__G5F8nIp1-fj__rKIfZkDFuwxyQ9FcDZNp6g7oJMYj2w7prd5hVQb2GzthtZFl0JaPeVChsLroOBQvCr9VdBRoODN9jmX4XHzSiO63tPQeullTC4dQIw-UlChZCOXkf3BUcTuH0wLJwMFtwPg6BYCLAOHrUv66MYZ9Hy28_pn1lcg/s1981/original_adc9005c-3b86-4e31-b9a6-c5d02d209088_PXL_20230521_221844031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1981" data-original-width="1981" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-x-mCc8YTZKT__G5F8nIp1-fj__rKIfZkDFuwxyQ9FcDZNp6g7oJMYj2w7prd5hVQb2GzthtZFl0JaPeVChsLroOBQvCr9VdBRoODN9jmX4XHzSiO63tPQeullTC4dQIw-UlChZCOXkf3BUcTuH0wLJwMFtwPg6BYCLAOHrUv66MYZ9Hy28_pn1lcg/s320/original_adc9005c-3b86-4e31-b9a6-c5d02d209088_PXL_20230521_221844031.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsvEz38UKRalgyUZSeYR1Cq5ZbJrQjuXHkCLbgkj5YzmXPt8QMMba2pqkna1m7WEXDwxGKI354VAw43qvXRUyAnhNYzxuopbBkfiOkD4Dv7Y7GmSMErqF8c_aFLhrebEAytqbFEfR0R2MHbpuHXj3jrG9n6XiKD6yTpjOLerxWxaBDiQT7rRuIPpa4A/s2206/PXL_20230527_165723549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2206" data-original-width="2206" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDsvEz38UKRalgyUZSeYR1Cq5ZbJrQjuXHkCLbgkj5YzmXPt8QMMba2pqkna1m7WEXDwxGKI354VAw43qvXRUyAnhNYzxuopbBkfiOkD4Dv7Y7GmSMErqF8c_aFLhrebEAytqbFEfR0R2MHbpuHXj3jrG9n6XiKD6yTpjOLerxWxaBDiQT7rRuIPpa4A/s320/PXL_20230527_165723549.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Cat and Mouse" - carved soapstone. These need final details and polish, but they are almost there.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfP6f4TrGlRAIeAncsaYjPgfq1_LiYdrFhSWM91JHmuAEiYrZ24Ue1UNhsvsaVboaGyUguZtuetDk71HcG_ctIzm4qtChkdJBx1IyGpXRyz0ccylJdo_qi_mkhyietcjxCMy6qFLTP290KzjTKcm8OCe6tB0MLSf2Ic4iABXG7jKr2cz5GvIzwtwJ8ew/s2004/PXL_20230520_133136693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2004" data-original-width="2004" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfP6f4TrGlRAIeAncsaYjPgfq1_LiYdrFhSWM91JHmuAEiYrZ24Ue1UNhsvsaVboaGyUguZtuetDk71HcG_ctIzm4qtChkdJBx1IyGpXRyz0ccylJdo_qi_mkhyietcjxCMy6qFLTP290KzjTKcm8OCe6tB0MLSf2Ic4iABXG7jKr2cz5GvIzwtwJ8ew/s320/PXL_20230520_133136693.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHT6x5ZxxK8K9FfklQpR-x-YS1CxK8nOInIcEqXS8guRrmL-gxX081CR4nl1Kd7qOkeeik7ZvEKMRqZ-hJSuwZbgBv4ZIvKT0H_fCKGoUUARrbfsaXEQQsUalY8O2m5x88uo11aNxHnH7r2F-JkVDp7BAKWwkm3vs5c6L_vkX9lxanVgf2rLhb1j-6A/s2039/PXL_20230520_133112869~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2039" data-original-width="2039" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHT6x5ZxxK8K9FfklQpR-x-YS1CxK8nOInIcEqXS8guRrmL-gxX081CR4nl1Kd7qOkeeik7ZvEKMRqZ-hJSuwZbgBv4ZIvKT0H_fCKGoUUARrbfsaXEQQsUalY8O2m5x88uo11aNxHnH7r2F-JkVDp7BAKWwkm3vs5c6L_vkX9lxanVgf2rLhb1j-6A/s320/PXL_20230520_133112869~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>These were to be a set called "Epic Fail" which was an attempt to capture the point of failure of a steel cable and a fuse...but the resin failed to cure. So they lived up to their name :)<br />I may or may not have the time to redo these in time for GenCon. If I do not get them in time, I will probably remake for a future tournament of some sort later this year.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>Those are what I have so far for GenCon but if we walk back in time to earlier this year, I created these for the Intermediate Open Tournament:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WQyStYaU-QR2XIfYvOVx5DAKPjQ6Ac9UBH9TfaAi6lVEuSN_sFrs94L2C_250t4_5oOrHgYjRxu8ODV32Vk5aYWk_FgUi01aiJAK1Y9QNjv15X7lCb7lCttC0XyOEsAWMD93zg5LqEkoYy17fZZbhHAJJpC_MsjZfcL9QRTUtFJFbZpZWF-sR0q-_A/s2487/PXL_20230223_112410366~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2487" data-original-width="2426" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WQyStYaU-QR2XIfYvOVx5DAKPjQ6Ac9UBH9TfaAi6lVEuSN_sFrs94L2C_250t4_5oOrHgYjRxu8ODV32Vk5aYWk_FgUi01aiJAK1Y9QNjv15X7lCb7lCttC0XyOEsAWMD93zg5LqEkoYy17fZZbhHAJJpC_MsjZfcL9QRTUtFJFbZpZWF-sR0q-_A/s320/PXL_20230223_112410366~2.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Sci-fi" - suspended objects in resin. These are some of my favorite resin ones to date.<br /></i> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6u0jg6QMpu1UiQLOwZLsrwO5h9FL0q0Q_Vo5Suralp3tYE6SvJOoO7mllREC2i0qV6gxFTDGiHavOKNJGiiIjhobDe8P5NHSdmcFUQy3CQcGzRDK_0NlFw4JWo3tYLFgS5Z8f-Ly41noo-7_BkwTN8q5EI17--pRXQcR4UCenhTawNK7S0_vUNvXx5w/s2334/PXL_20230223_112618679~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2074" data-original-width="2334" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6u0jg6QMpu1UiQLOwZLsrwO5h9FL0q0Q_Vo5Suralp3tYE6SvJOoO7mllREC2i0qV6gxFTDGiHavOKNJGiiIjhobDe8P5NHSdmcFUQy3CQcGzRDK_0NlFw4JWo3tYLFgS5Z8f-Ly41noo-7_BkwTN8q5EI17--pRXQcR4UCenhTawNK7S0_vUNvXx5w/s320/PXL_20230223_112618679~2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>As you rotate them, the scenes and colors change due to the layout of the facets and layers.</i></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjhD_LiuHsdoJ1Aa_DzV93Uj6xbnLO0x0XX8vMXkeeG0w-WDpV7xNzKReahZe-87c2Gp1blDsgUv3TPW46mpydrMkh6fD_IYxUZc8sbbJxQIpeovr9xhoe1c-C4SV3jUY88Y6L5efunIwOZU9hAvRBujDN9z8AZQA7-ZIO33TJw0LNas7YHoo-QbQRA/s2042/original_30457294-2e3f-4c3d-8f50-1ccd86adaebc_PXL_20230220_111116192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2042" data-original-width="1506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjhD_LiuHsdoJ1Aa_DzV93Uj6xbnLO0x0XX8vMXkeeG0w-WDpV7xNzKReahZe-87c2Gp1blDsgUv3TPW46mpydrMkh6fD_IYxUZc8sbbJxQIpeovr9xhoe1c-C4SV3jUY88Y6L5efunIwOZU9hAvRBujDN9z8AZQA7-ZIO33TJw0LNas7YHoo-QbQRA/s320/original_30457294-2e3f-4c3d-8f50-1ccd86adaebc_PXL_20230220_111116192.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Kilvin's Lamps #2" - copper, paint, glass, and steampunk bits.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpYoo8elDa-yJ8fV1jQGb8I_TK2eViAvwRjp4GyWrCPk3GQ86_5afznxSZ6fF45w4tgIuW_UUQkK-v9Po-Woyk9k5c1RgCmkX7m9CkgAGgYj8IqN72NliOWZH6GBUAfUqkML6nQlekBVRWovFJGFqYfabNlQILumfmrRT2_wsN9SX6Ph4mhycsdKZ-Q/s2465/PXL_20230220_110524004~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2267" data-original-width="2465" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpYoo8elDa-yJ8fV1jQGb8I_TK2eViAvwRjp4GyWrCPk3GQ86_5afznxSZ6fF45w4tgIuW_UUQkK-v9Po-Woyk9k5c1RgCmkX7m9CkgAGgYj8IqN72NliOWZH6GBUAfUqkML6nQlekBVRWovFJGFqYfabNlQILumfmrRT2_wsN9SX6Ph4mhycsdKZ-Q/s320/PXL_20230220_110524004~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And they light up!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br />That's been my Tak year so far on the crafting side of things. Stay tuned for updates. I'm not the most consistent, but hopefully what I do put out is worth taking a minute to browse :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading, and happy Takking!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>If you have any questions, feel free to find me on the Discord or Reddit (rabbitboy84) or shoot me an email (bill.leighton1@gmail.com).<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-17774884695931886422022-09-09T09:46:00.003-07:002022-09-09T09:47:01.675-07:00Latest Craftings<p>Hello all!</p><p>GenCon prep and then the convention itself really got me pumped for crafting. My prizes were well received, and I got to unveil the Castle Tak Set. You can see the unboxing <a href="https://youtu.be/G-dNAL1dtDI" target="_blank">here</a>. So, riding that high, I've been in the garage some on the weekends tinkering away. Here's some of the latest:</p><p><br /></p><p>Castle Tak Set (built just for fun):</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMqJnKKna0bLTvlEpyyEvhxKZcX3swod021Tn73Pb70FF--TYDgM8g5fvp97YnD1hv03aMGrObLTqD-EoKSUBsXz7sARqm5DAMSMBvX3-GISuZMM4QdP56bXSUVQeQ4d_7iCd5CRh9VPhlbNxUEKqI3Esq5lvjWug-hiPxU-Q6jQ42HHYD-X3SbvYNw/s3472/original_d8900705-2e47-4ec0-a6ad-fd79ffe32db1_PXL_20220731_205923191.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1796" data-original-width="3472" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMqJnKKna0bLTvlEpyyEvhxKZcX3swod021Tn73Pb70FF--TYDgM8g5fvp97YnD1hv03aMGrObLTqD-EoKSUBsXz7sARqm5DAMSMBvX3-GISuZMM4QdP56bXSUVQeQ4d_7iCd5CRh9VPhlbNxUEKqI3Esq5lvjWug-hiPxU-Q6jQ42HHYD-X3SbvYNw/w400-h208/original_d8900705-2e47-4ec0-a6ad-fd79ffe32db1_PXL_20220731_205923191.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Sun & Moon (prizes for the upcoming Intermediate Invitational):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFda7rQXIhuxYu2jKyC6MqAuc7EhDGcUrzYeMVBoLx3IDo6ZYh_fQdmMkexOIkkA3qXT31S0EsGEajO9DnofCwcjdf4VycCDsWusZjp0wnoFqn5rOHKTeBZynU7dzqLsSll9_fsCCjCweRwXxBmTqx_cTr7qltngfFSP-dBFbE-OdsQNaz_qRTJUVGQ/s2087/PXL_20220831_111615418.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2087" data-original-width="1214" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFda7rQXIhuxYu2jKyC6MqAuc7EhDGcUrzYeMVBoLx3IDo6ZYh_fQdmMkexOIkkA3qXT31S0EsGEajO9DnofCwcjdf4VycCDsWusZjp0wnoFqn5rOHKTeBZynU7dzqLsSll9_fsCCjCweRwXxBmTqx_cTr7qltngfFSP-dBFbE-OdsQNaz_qRTJUVGQ/s320/PXL_20220831_111615418.jpg" width="186" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajRVLrfDMqZn4TpXtJHKQskXr8J4mudugGqT2xb5iko2yYYq8vWDImYx-6TTR0mzwDeUQpvRWgxp4TMmXtuWlIc4qs_JIlV9qFaF1RPgZtORoGG_W8AgJdHomZx6wYUBVGwJG1zSnVdk1DZJ48TuHSbfGBxQdV55BOBRw5H5EOdeE5IxR6wusaLQCYA/s2050/PXL_20220828_185257952.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2050" data-original-width="1037" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajRVLrfDMqZn4TpXtJHKQskXr8J4mudugGqT2xb5iko2yYYq8vWDImYx-6TTR0mzwDeUQpvRWgxp4TMmXtuWlIc4qs_JIlV9qFaF1RPgZtORoGG_W8AgJdHomZx6wYUBVGwJG1zSnVdk1DZJ48TuHSbfGBxQdV55BOBRw5H5EOdeE5IxR6wusaLQCYA/s320/PXL_20220828_185257952.jpg" width="162" /></a></div></div><p><br /></p><p>Kilvin's Lamps (prizes for the upcoming Intermediate Invitational):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJCBt_uLcFVwZUiJT0hA-WH09N-Iv0qj6B48BPrIZ8RPNjj9XNG2WDj8hd2P5zacO29_ENDFScSe77ohMg9V2HGJL4wnIupkh0iJNVPqN41q0tpbsA1PS7K15o2BhkSlj5bk3VdF2k-_7LASvxnLrh8laodLqmqhl23vqE7ehK3WFZmLA8SJIdMUG3w/s1961/PXL_20220905_102326976~4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1961" data-original-width="1961" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJCBt_uLcFVwZUiJT0hA-WH09N-Iv0qj6B48BPrIZ8RPNjj9XNG2WDj8hd2P5zacO29_ENDFScSe77ohMg9V2HGJL4wnIupkh0iJNVPqN41q0tpbsA1PS7K15o2BhkSlj5bk3VdF2k-_7LASvxnLrh8laodLqmqhl23vqE7ehK3WFZmLA8SJIdMUG3w/s320/PXL_20220905_102326976~4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wire tree (unfinished) (just playing around this morning with a piece of soapstone too small to use by itself as a capstone):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAeX_D4QqNcFrsYZINRAv-Q-seoKgIZ_syLznohiv1tPuylMMmSiSisNvgvaCwSzNRbFiXOUk4XPbPniGMgj8cwAcX8Qkq2wEHQirEJYWHRgUgpArSSbUDBJfmWGnUA5ddJWF8IhBPjuL5Rd0jn7OHiu8J-58JuDe4rRZxw-9xniovYriGi3WX-U_oUw/s2254/PXL_20220909_153853035.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2254" data-original-width="1970" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAeX_D4QqNcFrsYZINRAv-Q-seoKgIZ_syLznohiv1tPuylMMmSiSisNvgvaCwSzNRbFiXOUk4XPbPniGMgj8cwAcX8Qkq2wEHQirEJYWHRgUgpArSSbUDBJfmWGnUA5ddJWF8IhBPjuL5Rd0jn7OHiu8J-58JuDe4rRZxw-9xniovYriGi3WX-U_oUw/s320/PXL_20220909_153853035.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I also got some birthday gifts that I'm putting to good use. My wife got me the supplies to make Kilvin's Lamps. My parents got me a vacuum chamber and some exotic wood blanks, which I used for the first time this morning. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaIpOZhPIIGNWoNCaFzE50cEUfeNAeVTpTEDzFeJH0M8FGfkIl9EJAGpG_rre6BgoZuMPNhpPjbdL1S1t5pLLx4GV5UGc8taWO-YiDXVqDPTbuo1A0hGX1NZNLLxkjImKPlwGisS-nZ_7UxzauzjhaHMrsJSIHpdRrbkb9gsIK2MTwTwMe0EKmTijxg/s2353/PXL_20220909_145819948.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2165" data-original-width="2353" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaIpOZhPIIGNWoNCaFzE50cEUfeNAeVTpTEDzFeJH0M8FGfkIl9EJAGpG_rre6BgoZuMPNhpPjbdL1S1t5pLLx4GV5UGc8taWO-YiDXVqDPTbuo1A0hGX1NZNLLxkjImKPlwGisS-nZ_7UxzauzjhaHMrsJSIHpdRrbkb9gsIK2MTwTwMe0EKmTijxg/s320/PXL_20220909_145819948.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Stay tuned to see how they turn out! You can stay up to date with my projects on Instagram @rabbitboy84 (or <a href="https://discord.gg/TMjqRDaV72" target="_blank">Discord</a>, same username, homemade sets channel).</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for reading!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-22389563400248919722022-07-23T12:44:00.000-07:002022-07-23T12:44:48.457-07:00Time for a little update post<p> Hey, all!</p><p><br /></p><p>It's been a while since I've given this area of my Tak life some love, so I thought I'd update with some of my goings-on.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1pBnqS-v3FjxqKoz5PUvL2tjHX6m-xppDYXoL5JyW2EYVtjHZ9gbEHgSEKwjDsCMJ_H_zLkm-KfeT5U1O-CDM1UzaWlPBd4FFN4ogoNNTpGjuIPPBl7Bd42SAr7iJjohx3I8gSoGldTwjba5mfSFYoztpTsVEKoLvSL7Vn1Tkg5L7jtdapo2K02g2g/s4608/IMG_20190801_092529602.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1pBnqS-v3FjxqKoz5PUvL2tjHX6m-xppDYXoL5JyW2EYVtjHZ9gbEHgSEKwjDsCMJ_H_zLkm-KfeT5U1O-CDM1UzaWlPBd4FFN4ogoNNTpGjuIPPBl7Bd42SAr7iJjohx3I8gSoGldTwjba5mfSFYoztpTsVEKoLvSL7Vn1Tkg5L7jtdapo2K02g2g/w240-h320/IMG_20190801_092529602.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="https://www.gencon.com/event_finder?search=%22tak%22&c=indy2022" target="_blank"><b>Gencon</b></a>:</p><p>It's less than 2 weeks away and Simmon and I are running 7 events (linked above). So, getting everything ready for this has been pretty high on my priority list. There were tournament sets to check, paperwork, promotion, prize-making/purchasing, travel arrangements, and a host of other behind the scenes tasks that we have been whack-a-moling over the past 6 months, hopefully culminating in a great experience for all.</p><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZFgLY1K9XThIk7SXgcsoptmQlJzpozUPX7q8alopq9cwrEI6UWMBZDj8Yp9FVFeIX3E-oSghpHH2Y3cXsw7us4Gn2EypYZscKPK7jbBVfz3JLYuPHDZtjorG8S5AE3lXvX60wzzFi46Po28nKiR9FVOhH4AQ97pPyqh-AvaHMtkYjAohu10zRIWf_A/s2916/PXL_20220716_205401545~2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2916" data-original-width="1938" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZFgLY1K9XThIk7SXgcsoptmQlJzpozUPX7q8alopq9cwrEI6UWMBZDj8Yp9FVFeIX3E-oSghpHH2Y3cXsw7us4Gn2EypYZscKPK7jbBVfz3JLYuPHDZtjorG8S5AE3lXvX60wzzFi46Po28nKiR9FVOhH4AQ97pPyqh-AvaHMtkYjAohu10zRIWf_A/w266-h400/PXL_20220716_205401545~2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Crafting</u></b>:</p><p>In addition to, and as part of, GenCon prep, I've been crafting a good bit this year. Each member of my family chose a new hobby to focus some weekend time on, and mine was soapstone carving. Which means, in addition to the 3D printing, laser, CNC, woodworking, and resin, you will be seeing some hand-carved stone pieces popping up as prizes now. You can follow my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=16hw0r6tl919q&utm_content=lc7lpjs" target="_blank">Instagram</a> (@rabbitboy84) if you want to see more examples and be kept up to date with new projects...<i>like the one I plan on revealing at GenCon...</i></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Community Building:</u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcNkr438oWtMDQHGoI3XbaxpT8pPAgr6t4NRY897wUD2nM_s1KZruiYfkr2gWzTe2btjezBG-6ywWV1wKFheaX78uWeNhrnAdpvMAfjjhAMThlnZce4nGwk7P2Y1TI4I2Kkg3hxcF2aRTibuw8r6kFfhLweGcFhbo_hXpXtm2D0ZPASmijL0aH9QvoA/s1500/screensaver%20test.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1500" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcNkr438oWtMDQHGoI3XbaxpT8pPAgr6t4NRY897wUD2nM_s1KZruiYfkr2gWzTe2btjezBG-6ywWV1wKFheaX78uWeNhrnAdpvMAfjjhAMThlnZce4nGwk7P2Y1TI4I2Kkg3hxcF2aRTibuw8r6kFfhLweGcFhbo_hXpXtm2D0ZPASmijL0aH9QvoA/s320/screensaver%20test.png" width="320" /></a></div>I was elected president of the <a href="http://www.ustak.org/" target="_blank">US Tak Association</a> again this year, and we've been hard at work trying to bulletproof our infrastructure and prepare for growth. A <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevVQZIem8e3KwEfBq3j_TRkhT2TXprEOfHWNr-5gGhFgqHgg/viewform" target="_blank">community survey</a> was recently put out to help us further formulate our advertising strategies, and we've continued pushing our tournament schedule to get more play for more levels throughout the year. Next up are the <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSem5z3fXQhV_azDM05C85G9RxMeMp03IhA7-blBHYmE2hPjrA/viewform" target="_blank">TransAtlanTak Showdown</a> and the <a href="https://forms.gle/FzuRFEae1Poa879y7" target="_blank">3rd Quarter Beginner Tournament</a> which will start August 3rd and August 13th respectively. Just follow the links for more info :)<p></p><p><br /></p><p>Other community building efforts have been the 3D contest (which I plan to write up more fully in the next Capstone Quarterly), creating and posting puzzles on the <a href="https://discord.gg/TMjqRDaV72" target="_blank">Discord</a>, and just in general keeping the ideas flowing and evolving along with our wonderful community.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfd0NiJB7pGNf6gaNTn8qZtoFNv_lwRp_MzQ1nqrIKMTzWD5rjeupG8rkHYp7Ma1H7he6rSFQEPhwaJqyRyqkD7w2rs3FHvu5VSVtgLIxK9tDQ1DyDpLXuPOHfEyFuLEvbXkNUH3KjfYa5vnikmJPo9fqMLLSbrbY8sNkaHz32bDdl8aVxo806ITFvvQ/s1102/unknown.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1102" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfd0NiJB7pGNf6gaNTn8qZtoFNv_lwRp_MzQ1nqrIKMTzWD5rjeupG8rkHYp7Ma1H7he6rSFQEPhwaJqyRyqkD7w2rs3FHvu5VSVtgLIxK9tDQ1DyDpLXuPOHfEyFuLEvbXkNUH3KjfYa5vnikmJPo9fqMLLSbrbY8sNkaHz32bDdl8aVxo806ITFvvQ/w320-h165/unknown.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br />If you made it this far, thanks!</p><p>See you out there, and keep on Takking!</p><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-85146849160977523592021-12-20T17:55:00.001-08:002021-12-20T17:55:28.065-08:00Blog Neglect, but Not Content or Community Abandonment<p> Good evening everyone!</p><p>So, I got to thinking today that I haven't posted anything on here since my Artificer's set was finished and thinking of this made me realize that, unless you came to this blog via the Discord, you might think that the Artificer's Set became sentient and has me locked in the garage, making spare parts for it :)</p><p>This is just a short note on the front page to let you know that the community is still active and I am actively creating content within it, but those items usually end up on the <a href="https://discord.gg/Ps3A7hFUD2" target="_blank">Tak Talk Discord</a> in the form of puzzles and conversation, or in the USTA quarterly newsletter.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for reading! Happy Takking!</p><p><br /></p><p>P.S. In addition to the Discord (rabbitboy84), I can still also be reached via Reddit (u/rabbitboy84) or email (bill.leighton1@gmail.com).</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-70319596303151217632021-06-06T08:51:00.001-07:002021-06-06T08:52:38.793-07:00The Artificer's Travel Tak Set - First Fully Working Version!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj82lPHBAXWvenhGoLQPpyUhkU8uPQRTo1VsCNtKAlCo8Achy0pcZO_IffL3BErbMPF2E61oryK-S4BNaHpR24f9yHhw0h4-5Z3JtuYHDu3QZQiMGn8G3iIBC8_3WsLKK1mGievqWcUmK8/s2048/IMG_20210605_152828005.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj82lPHBAXWvenhGoLQPpyUhkU8uPQRTo1VsCNtKAlCo8Achy0pcZO_IffL3BErbMPF2E61oryK-S4BNaHpR24f9yHhw0h4-5Z3JtuYHDu3QZQiMGn8G3iIBC8_3WsLKK1mGievqWcUmK8/w300-h400/IMG_20210605_152828005.jpg" width="300" /></a><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>After months of tinkering, it is finished! This project offered me many hours of entertainment and really kept my gears turning:) </p><p>Everything except the outer board artwork and the decorations on top of the capstones was designed by me. This required becoming refamiliarized with InkScape for 2D drawing and learning FreeCAD for the 3D design. I also learned Cura as my slicing program and figured out how to get these programs to interface with my Snapmaker 2.0.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFLNTuJfm950Y1INBbaoVOrlqyPHfJgqSvNLbPDFzv6skvVDnnu1EoYYwX1lNAy7AeyvLWrLueOk95IwbDRz19H7GoVvUODL1aJ1RRrutaMihixYmNw0gyRbDcQKc3K_-k9wSgbCWAfqJ/s2048/IMG_20210605_183319821.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1634" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFLNTuJfm950Y1INBbaoVOrlqyPHfJgqSvNLbPDFzv6skvVDnnu1EoYYwX1lNAy7AeyvLWrLueOk95IwbDRz19H7GoVvUODL1aJ1RRrutaMihixYmNw0gyRbDcQKc3K_-k9wSgbCWAfqJ/s320/IMG_20210605_183319821.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>For those that want to see the beginning of the process, <a href="http://takthoughts.blogspot.com/2021/03/prototyping-artificers-tak-set.html" target="_blank">here is the blog post</a>. I just finished posting videos to my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CPx-7jep_VA/?utm_medium=copy_link" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and decided to put something into long form to go a bit more in depth on each part of this set.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Board</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhzApEzI0YczSvUKbr-r8z5iLU5fCj1lzd8hw8ZRGPELROwp-_VmXnfiCzZ_NoO420MhS94TKYtBTH0n2Bm8_rq4UrS3Zip9vWHw5iLEIqhwymTAMGkp7QdTxOGlK_jwHmqcyL0UWBbg6/s2048/IMG_20210506_051852417.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1812" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhzApEzI0YczSvUKbr-r8z5iLU5fCj1lzd8hw8ZRGPELROwp-_VmXnfiCzZ_NoO420MhS94TKYtBTH0n2Bm8_rq4UrS3Zip9vWHw5iLEIqhwymTAMGkp7QdTxOGlK_jwHmqcyL0UWBbg6/s320/IMG_20210506_051852417.jpg" /></a></div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP99qbh9M7QqKJKtqG4dvyBCgSf-9mSqdDcVncQ7-5Y16uDNzm6C5zkZF5Pc9pcS2Xvalj0s6_9hpoYKol2f5kAAUy1oayGuSBRUAPK9gOrCi5Q3IvIBDX84HqFO2kAWjesfd0pzF959C5/s2048/IMG_20210503_070500557.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1864" data-original-width="2048" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP99qbh9M7QqKJKtqG4dvyBCgSf-9mSqdDcVncQ7-5Y16uDNzm6C5zkZF5Pc9pcS2Xvalj0s6_9hpoYKol2f5kAAUy1oayGuSBRUAPK9gOrCi5Q3IvIBDX84HqFO2kAWjesfd0pzF959C5/w320-h291/IMG_20210503_070500557.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>I used a wooden placemat with a canvas backing that I found on Amazon for the board. I cut it down to size and used the laser engraver on my Snapmaker to decorate the outside and burn the board grid on the inside canvas. In the future, I may 3D print or cut the slats myself so that I can more easily control quality and integrate the magnetic and physical end cap attachment points. The canvas has a bit of memory to it as well. So, if you leave it rolled up for any length of time, you have to stretch the fabric back out to get it to lay flat. Not ideal for a travel set which will spend the majority of its life in a rolled state. If I make this part myself in the future, I will choose a different fabric.<p></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Flat Pieces</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAPP7VqZCZMiLyQKxdrwEOQeTL1s11e54ZPDGL6uePX1Vbo1W2wV336PbwKqhil8591nyI48Lb83Hm5N2QKKlWllN06oJAAtFrL2dCSKcimKpoDJvHoAcrJ7LlJp-ckho42FrMdPi_LYD/s2048/IMG_20210507_065455722.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAPP7VqZCZMiLyQKxdrwEOQeTL1s11e54ZPDGL6uePX1Vbo1W2wV336PbwKqhil8591nyI48Lb83Hm5N2QKKlWllN06oJAAtFrL2dCSKcimKpoDJvHoAcrJ7LlJp-ckho42FrMdPi_LYD/s320/IMG_20210507_065455722.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><p>My first pass at the pieces was overly complicated. I designed a cog and then on the flat faces, made a rotational groove in the shape of the side of the cog so that a standing stone could rest securely on top. My 3D printer did okay with this, but the detail wasn't stellar, and I took another pass at it after having used FreeCAD for another couple months and mulling things over. I settled on a simpler design, but one that keeps (and in fact improves) the stability of a standing stone on top.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Capstones</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9R3W2u6nuF6Lc7gE9ot4YdbEfepY86IA0yMCyQw9yiC4hyphenhyphenLGbSl4OX8q30dQXbU9q3gK553aPQxvvJ2J0126aeKppQamuBBE_L-C6ikgFebv0E1OXcQVIouT6yeOcPsbcn8c_QsVFwbl/s2048/IMG_20210531_171907578_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9R3W2u6nuF6Lc7gE9ot4YdbEfepY86IA0yMCyQw9yiC4hyphenhyphenLGbSl4OX8q30dQXbU9q3gK553aPQxvvJ2J0126aeKppQamuBBE_L-C6ikgFebv0E1OXcQVIouT6yeOcPsbcn8c_QsVFwbl/s320/IMG_20210531_171907578_HDR.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmOk6WRVUmZFVYTen0ZGVLHvcE7uJztrcANQ6SxbeqivA9odN5icyOrQjpPZNvTjqfrAlh990ASmbYOkPUv3qojGWftIBu1PN54XPDWswU4BlUo20ty9lKWDyDWW2pJF1p4lezQ6WBSax/s2048/IMG_20210531_171848385_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmOk6WRVUmZFVYTen0ZGVLHvcE7uJztrcANQ6SxbeqivA9odN5icyOrQjpPZNvTjqfrAlh990ASmbYOkPUv3qojGWftIBu1PN54XPDWswU4BlUo20ty9lKWDyDWW2pJF1p4lezQ6WBSax/s320/IMG_20210531_171848385_HDR.jpg" /></a></div><p>These also went through a few design incarnations. The capstones are the linchpin of the end cap locking mechanism, so their design is closely tied to the restrictions imposed by my end cap choices. My early 3D printed designs relied on a plastic tab to lock into a groove on the capstone. This turned out to not work too well with the PLA filament I use. It also didn't feel very elegant. So, I revamped the attachment to be magnetic in nature. The final design uses magnets on both the capstones and the end caps for a secure hold and satisfying thunk.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: large;">End caps</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlFyz0C_-3wZCgaMVTJqjgnbV1iGBdzhIF6mHKYED_EitEZPodNXoA_xwUlUln3NupEzI43rAXMO0pqm_-UNGWB9O9fUIZyjtJv8pxsSrR1VQrbd4Ufl3S2PbnvYr4JoGETEfuGxbB5Ug/s2048/IMG_20210602_063325324_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlFyz0C_-3wZCgaMVTJqjgnbV1iGBdzhIF6mHKYED_EitEZPodNXoA_xwUlUln3NupEzI43rAXMO0pqm_-UNGWB9O9fUIZyjtJv8pxsSrR1VQrbd4Ufl3S2PbnvYr4JoGETEfuGxbB5Ug/s320/IMG_20210602_063325324_HDR.jpg" /></a><b style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbuLDKEmt1_Vt1no5B1D3zaBeYnDm5izHyujp245b72PN96x5Try8zRwwKE32mpPBzoKBpp6PfBLguUqg8wtricqOC_OunH8GcytNm-onYrgSsDHvS17SLQHQ6KRvYc-40gwreqME4zkK/s2048/IMG_20210605_182631479.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1829" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbuLDKEmt1_Vt1no5B1D3zaBeYnDm5izHyujp245b72PN96x5Try8zRwwKE32mpPBzoKBpp6PfBLguUqg8wtricqOC_OunH8GcytNm-onYrgSsDHvS17SLQHQ6KRvYc-40gwreqME4zkK/s320/IMG_20210605_182631479.jpg" /></a></b></div></div><p><br /></p><p>I think these are my favorite part of the build. The locking hasp is fun to play with, they look pretty sweet, the 15% infill keeps them light, and the distressed paint turned out well. These end caps pull triple duty by holding the set together, becoming a coaster during play, and feature an integrated game counter so you can keep track of flat count, game wins, or how much your part of the bar tab is :)</p><p><br /></p><p>So there you have it; a unique travel set with an Artificer theme! Stay tuned for further improvements to this set (I am playtesting currently and then shipping it out to have others give their input).</p><p><br /></p><p>For my next build: Fire and Ice themed 5x5/6x6 hybrid to go with my Hidden World capstones.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-19495302880877176972021-03-07T07:48:00.000-08:002021-03-07T07:48:24.420-08:00Prototyping the Artificer's Tak Set<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2HCmSsN0er3rRAGtAPSpB249nHKd827M1mBgx2tlbhd_gAqy4AjEhwcetD91HUr-W4kxiaqeUCFNZKfKpfyjA8X7mDC8bTbPv2BPOiPzEwy4kYljUEZgjL29qJt1HGIIIoShzTXm9ZwYQ/s2048/IMG_20210222_145717021_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2HCmSsN0er3rRAGtAPSpB249nHKd827M1mBgx2tlbhd_gAqy4AjEhwcetD91HUr-W4kxiaqeUCFNZKfKpfyjA8X7mDC8bTbPv2BPOiPzEwy4kYljUEZgjL29qJt1HGIIIoShzTXm9ZwYQ/s320/IMG_20210222_145717021_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYAUXalA3HXmd4r2sMKb4Yqd3Keq9QxQj5WmHmA-vHk8FE4WVbfliDwoIasP99hWcShF7uTgRZsvqY0pPTEAoy5CrSyVh03qfMPdfY0QHX-oTz2XGVemfxf5o0HMf9Bv7R6InD4Hqc08r/s2683/IMG_20210222_145604110.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2683" data-original-width="1172" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYAUXalA3HXmd4r2sMKb4Yqd3Keq9QxQj5WmHmA-vHk8FE4WVbfliDwoIasP99hWcShF7uTgRZsvqY0pPTEAoy5CrSyVh03qfMPdfY0QHX-oTz2XGVemfxf5o0HMf9Bv7R6InD4Hqc08r/s320/IMG_20210222_145604110.jpg" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><br />Hello Takkers!<div><p></p><p>I'm writing this COVERED in sawdust and metal shavings. My feet are numb and my nose is running from the cold. I have small cuts on my hands, and a blister on my thumb...</p><p>And I'm having a great time crafting my ideas into reality!</p><p>The idea for the Artificer's Set started as an idea for a travel set that could be played without needing a perfectly flat surface. I mentioned the idea on the Tak Discord and went back and forth with a list of wants. I wanted a fully contained board and piece set that used slats of wood with canvas on one side and the board with attached flaps and a strap to roll up and secure the board with the pieces inside. Here is a sketch of that first idea:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXecTj6cgIj7vyVHNS3foZIJ-8xhCF2Xo6CEM0DSVCIF6dMrWJtuMvuOWezrxTRIkGaJjrBLzO-JqhB5lrDrtSpbWNbvQRw5n8D-7RMMDwxzC6uB7SJWIKNrBVH9vSXBkptjrUN85pNjK4/s1105/travel+set.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXecTj6cgIj7vyVHNS3foZIJ-8xhCF2Xo6CEM0DSVCIF6dMrWJtuMvuOWezrxTRIkGaJjrBLzO-JqhB5lrDrtSpbWNbvQRw5n8D-7RMMDwxzC6uB7SJWIKNrBVH9vSXBkptjrUN85pNjK4/s320/travel+set.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>As the discussion evolved and I let my brain ponder the idea, I decided that I didn't like the strap, and was concerned that the end flaps wouldn't accomplish the job in the manner I wanted. So, I came up with a new closure system:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyU_pJ2sMuL14SO0NqHSVJ_GQb6f5OzmUvw1oAszwBKwtLYYL74ScfGDRCzeKRdsdXqIPdOX7HqgpY2wGr0b9e2aMGXfPHLQu0FXPlcQWB6WnCMtTDFXv5n3u_dA3-pbCY5XVQUBixkJn/s1074/hinge1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyU_pJ2sMuL14SO0NqHSVJ_GQb6f5OzmUvw1oAszwBKwtLYYL74ScfGDRCzeKRdsdXqIPdOX7HqgpY2wGr0b9e2aMGXfPHLQu0FXPlcQWB6WnCMtTDFXv5n3u_dA3-pbCY5XVQUBixkJn/s320/hinge1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQv_vv37ucY7Y9GLMqrqIweqGo3OV8_32azobeZGNEXPCk5Xf4ldUIQmiOwMucHPKBahtLouN4CebsV3Y5G_TivblB-4CytyUoWMcE9vxlHLTVu3ao0h6txZhS9BLx7Kfr9YdtHj4DJqY/s1397/flap+closure.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1397" data-original-width="928" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQv_vv37ucY7Y9GLMqrqIweqGo3OV8_32azobeZGNEXPCk5Xf4ldUIQmiOwMucHPKBahtLouN4CebsV3Y5G_TivblB-4CytyUoWMcE9vxlHLTVu3ao0h6txZhS9BLx7Kfr9YdtHj4DJqY/s320/flap+closure.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This felt more secure to my mind, though harder to make. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the sliding hook pin would get in the way when rolling up the board. I had to find a way to get it to hide away when not in use. And I found the answer while driving for work. I was mulling over the problem when it finally came to me. These little sparks of inspiration make it all worth it! I designed this in my head while on the road, and then sketched it out at my next stop:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOja9ndrdY31o0Kk3tWZnahrFL8IMxxf9QuA-eW-ZB0PQ97zbRA9Q-24cA1XzHE2zb-kdJlmjb6WlZq7kkT3mbYj-3KWSMteEVmkugmA60yEzh9WKZV04O-MRC2qhBBdk5mhkJbVA-ve1/s1000/hinge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOja9ndrdY31o0Kk3tWZnahrFL8IMxxf9QuA-eW-ZB0PQ97zbRA9Q-24cA1XzHE2zb-kdJlmjb6WlZq7kkT3mbYj-3KWSMteEVmkugmA60yEzh9WKZV04O-MRC2qhBBdk5mhkJbVA-ve1/s320/hinge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I wanted the end caps to be functional outside of holding the set together. Gruppler gave me the idea of making them into coasters. Then, building on this, I added a game dial to keep track of wins. After more tweaking and thinking, my idea came to resemble this for the end caps:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnQVWuBRTm9drtm_JR7WGM55zGLEkPZRJeW_yo7LjDwwlwzpR9zy3Oz6t6lSI_TAJ_7Zd0i4TR1K4frZeu0NRjRHNfxFBzrvOGYaOJtSI-1EX-Oa_5MRuNxDq5VRXx9i5GrwiJZx6hdiJ/s1535/end+cap.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="625" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnQVWuBRTm9drtm_JR7WGM55zGLEkPZRJeW_yo7LjDwwlwzpR9zy3Oz6t6lSI_TAJ_7Zd0i4TR1K4frZeu0NRjRHNfxFBzrvOGYaOJtSI-1EX-Oa_5MRuNxDq5VRXx9i5GrwiJZx6hdiJ/s320/end+cap.jpg" /></a></div><p>The first prototype was a moderate success. It did it's job of showing what works and what doesn't. I had originally designed it so the board wrapped over itself to make a tight enough roll to comfortably pick up with one hand. But, the extra thickness in the overlap area required an offset center "coaster" which then messed up the aesthetics and the game dial function. My options to fix this were to make the end caps bigger to remove the overlap, or reduce the board size. I settled on the latter to keep the set size more compact.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are 2 short videos of my progress:</p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UzjOQcVsHQDjPg8qU1SklRh9hF94bGlj/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Opening</a></p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V3Q6akN6xAwVRw4sb859oYXNBe4bvLNk/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Closing</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>And....I just bought a 3D printer! So, stay tuned for my further development with that new tool.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks and enjoy!!</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-50214625317795474422021-02-02T04:33:00.003-08:002021-02-02T04:33:58.182-08:00Experiments - Muwhahaha!<p> Okay, maybe not those kind of experiments :)</p><p>I started working with resin a couple years ago, when the USTA tournament wooden capstones started breaking and we needed sturdy replacements. Since then I've worked on some variations using that design and used the results as prizes.</p><p>Recently, I decided to take my capstones to the next level. These are much harder to craft (they currently take 4 sessions instead of 1), but I'm happy with the results so far.</p><p>These are still prototypes, as I'm getting a feel for working with the harder woods and new resin techniques. Previously, the majority of my woodworking experience has been construction projects with pine and plywood. So, changing that to working on a small, hardwood capstone has lead to some adaptation in tools and technique, and a trip to the ER get a few stitches *facepalm*</p><p>Enough backstory :)</p><p><b>Hidden World: Ice and Fire Capstones</b> (ebony and maple) (ignore the amateur photography)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RUuMfHIY3wowUYaUOT5Z76XFiGpgxw7dVOC_r-isw6ezU3db3thLrAigLLEm1mflJSp1o86ChCnANJLdaWneB0Y4C0uihGJyI7OwLXhbV9O9SEANAIY5Sq8MJPVzYNSly8P69UzjzUyV/s2048/IMG_20210201_170510131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RUuMfHIY3wowUYaUOT5Z76XFiGpgxw7dVOC_r-isw6ezU3db3thLrAigLLEm1mflJSp1o86ChCnANJLdaWneB0Y4C0uihGJyI7OwLXhbV9O9SEANAIY5Sq8MJPVzYNSly8P69UzjzUyV/s320/IMG_20210201_170510131.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7DljLZVsQveDEm_8bAfc6jWm4niDkgU69CbSHIpYx-HLq461lCfUQ6iP12WbPyCxpMmAlJIYq-YSNEsOCCJSEC7Z6M4gZWmnSegnSnV9fZNLe6itAIVHbzgDQbDVTiZ6mFLAmEcoJMcZ/s2048/Image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7DljLZVsQveDEm_8bAfc6jWm4niDkgU69CbSHIpYx-HLq461lCfUQ6iP12WbPyCxpMmAlJIYq-YSNEsOCCJSEC7Z6M4gZWmnSegnSnV9fZNLe6itAIVHbzgDQbDVTiZ6mFLAmEcoJMcZ/s320/Image.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WDD2gmYC9QoCkjiXMmAt93l2To9F7N_zlSie_2hPA4B2WN14jsJvNOgqFF9SToRfonxp2e2nY-BDzwepSaDEKjML1ZK_wQaUB0TJDXrdiQWWcSZJ1uZZkLI-qyaGRAytm6i94Lrq-78L/s2048/1612214929070_Image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1238" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WDD2gmYC9QoCkjiXMmAt93l2To9F7N_zlSie_2hPA4B2WN14jsJvNOgqFF9SToRfonxp2e2nY-BDzwepSaDEKjML1ZK_wQaUB0TJDXrdiQWWcSZJ1uZZkLI-qyaGRAytm6i94Lrq-78L/s320/1612214929070_Image.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p>Here are some more pics which include a couple other capstones.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3id3XMtZy2sLa9iaKk1BLc9BF-EIyEmh2hiPTxU5diLtYomVSCfnVBGusXFJc00BH6Fj4k2OCNBA7nTKtfntKwYjr2OW1XQVYEcwGy3iw9TBQUwYMVvRPbM6wQEvMBG0NfO6xlqGcVzy/s2048/IMG_20210201_123557296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3id3XMtZy2sLa9iaKk1BLc9BF-EIyEmh2hiPTxU5diLtYomVSCfnVBGusXFJc00BH6Fj4k2OCNBA7nTKtfntKwYjr2OW1XQVYEcwGy3iw9TBQUwYMVvRPbM6wQEvMBG0NfO6xlqGcVzy/s320/IMG_20210201_123557296.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCglCKiPCFEdr5tV8p8Ojd8D-JHbkaBueaXIw2utwKX5PGC9sP9KcGn6ygHjsvyd3Y7U8FdJ6Vqt3c85Ky4G8F2qftadKnR6pFY9JAET3RGD8BBTVkBEEy-mbzuhqA350QggvKfih-YPX/s2048/IMG_20210201_123545005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1403" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCglCKiPCFEdr5tV8p8Ojd8D-JHbkaBueaXIw2utwKX5PGC9sP9KcGn6ygHjsvyd3Y7U8FdJ6Vqt3c85Ky4G8F2qftadKnR6pFY9JAET3RGD8BBTVkBEEy-mbzuhqA350QggvKfih-YPX/s320/IMG_20210201_123545005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUchohJ_4LPHb5uWYXqmEDzzA2maEzi_ysgCXv8bLJYuDHP5l3Xp_86DvcgU9T5bvA6C2eWj5HAq3B-nrG2pQtRupU9dV1eLZIQYIVEJ6nws8cRMAiuLwTHoqYHeBlh9Pi7nN-a1k-djd/s2048/1612214902122_Image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUchohJ_4LPHb5uWYXqmEDzzA2maEzi_ysgCXv8bLJYuDHP5l3Xp_86DvcgU9T5bvA6C2eWj5HAq3B-nrG2pQtRupU9dV1eLZIQYIVEJ6nws8cRMAiuLwTHoqYHeBlh9Pi7nN-a1k-djd/s320/1612214902122_Image.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kkXZtG9ca6x-BZ7_82Ck2bj8fVZDtIZ2fJSVKRR-1oQ03FnNDFG-HMSy6CtU5rfhTTofJbp9tTGgQZxbS9ONVSZpR88wmchTijgtGPuCxBosXi8Eyn3D2ES2kN3dQG0UZsrqhsZZPtHx/s2048/1612214831861_Image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kkXZtG9ca6x-BZ7_82Ck2bj8fVZDtIZ2fJSVKRR-1oQ03FnNDFG-HMSy6CtU5rfhTTofJbp9tTGgQZxbS9ONVSZpR88wmchTijgtGPuCxBosXi8Eyn3D2ES2kN3dQG0UZsrqhsZZPtHx/s320/1612214831861_Image.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>And, lastly, my humble proof of concept that started it off.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQC4XKaW2XxOmuZbNvoJKwD67v2eb385dlr-4jmfY-GGB9LsN_20rcGSti0UTvES1RvPjxrCsou6CSs8vwIeUSRbfOpWoPZ_yst3drTUZzPYPh62xk2hzH74l8sgfVfNQaD-d3nDh64LW/s1920/inCollage_20201227_155449905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQC4XKaW2XxOmuZbNvoJKwD67v2eb385dlr-4jmfY-GGB9LsN_20rcGSti0UTvES1RvPjxrCsou6CSs8vwIeUSRbfOpWoPZ_yst3drTUZzPYPh62xk2hzH74l8sgfVfNQaD-d3nDh64LW/s320/inCollage_20201227_155449905.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Let me know what you think.</p><p>These will probably be used for upcoming prizes, so keep your ear to the ground.</p><p>Thanks and enjoy!!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-25685685063795226242020-12-29T10:26:00.001-08:002020-12-29T10:26:30.533-08:00Puzzle Walkthrough Video<p> Hello, all!</p><p>I've been experimenting with some screen capture software this past week. First with my laptop, which turned out to not be fast enough to not be super jumpy. And then with my phone, which seems to handle it just fine.</p><p>So, here's my first attempt:</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/9c6yQKPM7ZE">https://youtu.be/9c6yQKPM7ZE</a></p><p>Let me know what you think and what content you want to see.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks and enjoy!!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-64119233823739046412020-12-23T05:07:00.002-08:002020-12-23T05:07:26.561-08:00DIY Tak Set Calculator<p> Hello, everyone!</p><p>Seeing all the recent DIY sets posted to Reddit gave me an idea. So, I put this together on my phone the past few days. It's not elegant by any means, but hopefully will help those that are looking for some guidelines for sizing their sets.</p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1blYIlPvD45iOaWZpWqcn6bwtEP6AH_dHPZcnbsxsYsw/edit?usp=drivesdk" target="_blank">DIY Tak Set Dimension Calculator</a></p><p>I calculated the ratios based on the average of these three sets: Classic, University, and USTA Tournament.</p><p>Using the sheet is straightforward, so I'll offer a couple scenarios where it might come in handy:</p><p>Let's say you want to build a 6x6 set and you have a 1” dowel rod that you want to make cane pieces out of, but aren't sure how to size the board or other pieces.</p><p>Or, you want to 3D print pieces to fit a 12" board you already have.</p><p>Or, you have the perfect capstone and want to build a set around it.</p><p>...</p><p>So, play around with this and see what you think. I welcome feedback, just leave it in the comments on Reddit.</p><p>Thanks and enjoy!!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-89202041853338124562020-12-11T03:01:00.001-08:002020-12-11T03:01:35.328-08:00Tournament Game Commentary on PTN.ninja<p>Hello fellow Takkers!</p><p>It's been quite a while since I've used this blog to share information with you, so I thought I would resurrect it for some game commentary. </p><p>Simmon has been doing an excellent job recording live games with commentary from the ongoing 2020 USTA Championship. If you haven't watched any, head over to the <a href="https://youtube.com/channel/UC7C0OBnKeg7zmSz745KdNXg" target="_blank">USTA YouTube channel</a> and enjoy!</p><p>I've been toying with the idea of doing some post game video commentary with <a href="http://ptn.ninja">ptn.ninja</a>, taking advantage of the branching capabilities and general awesomeness of that program. So this project was a way to do a dry run with written comments instead of audio.</p><p>Without further ado, here is my contribution. I'll post this to Reddit, so please leave comments there.</p><p>Thanks and enjoy!</p><p><br /></p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="600px" src="https://ptn.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-KAtRhQpdBgGBnNYXwtRgZ9WD7EZcR2HdRyS+SHWubA7hQJhcWdXLLmpWAaMJELOlQWDYWgakXngndk1TGFYB2WMAD4bnhJQl30Hq0QKSyRygQCZKq0CcWo7hbL3FJqIpF4IPwUkdkBTS2SYfAvFi8SUGW3VVo2-rBUVZymBsDCiTJRDiHQGAfF8jN0HU0DWEJUQ22uZakv7BayP7V9muK3EnnwYVPoglBD0zG9Rj8xrIsrFpJDacQNpGnoAFkX2eV8mEA1zPKYVJPIuMJwWgEtfM0LUJpWi4oiYHgRkKQoKTQNo+gR46kZYc1DJefsBhrXxZtxV7NKgiCYkIY42kxWD4LQUD2lHRX1U9H9IXBv7juwfkkEi+hddfdqJUYeSoBYtCNZHdruU6vyLnhxXjj8p4UAMiW0T4LNkYWmmLwpURSzQ8bRwVASqFkVpReZDcw3Uo0cQ+aS3Vk5LGBsTivdxEYWGeIgWHBJB-aMtEMGw93aomaGr2IHyPQdRy8S7FHbIKrCDdYQE-35GUGts1AbBiWAIY5Vl2WYUCYi8aOUAw2AVOKKih8BeP5HzXHXJpwh3wFJSpZKGWUF8tfcWITjOVdnhdkZLILo2tFrtuwp7pctySr8hqAVuSW1+lOY2RsbDQFxPDJaqRAbtH-juCCIpdLdzCCOTeADd5IhgOIBUWQ0T83esHYWv0A7nzmrLdo+AiBWi4N-dSbVuaaCwh8EeQ50KAmgQOeqbQEoN2OB5B020XQ5zlm6f+MJDxgEohcNi+41RXl+lTI2U8Wq2Xso5L4nQmQAAlnJLySmgJ6JMP6HnBCfM+0sXpX3TBw+GSUkDbDCrsEAUAaxPTQPRAA-HcJIhBsC63yjgWAAcZ6uzCIKF8-dIoQAuMFeGQoIDwlkHSb4phThmJQDESEVVIDLxUcQoWrA279igPYA4nRQj0U2GvABDczZc2+FAIiJV1Iz3tt2AYFxprnBgAbfaKNPRtSOJEmybUtI6W0QiAAPGiAAqoUdUbpDHoBMSkgM3xZCZJJDMzJPQ65eQiduK2hIB4INxDKNA24bzQnYbBC4kUllKUIswJ40D7LcG5CkvMuCJbGX6J8pg-JXIUMvtfLhtkH5pmfgiV+VZhqjTFCmKyk0WiLm+HCtELIK7smhW7aqy9BxOKiTpfpkVBkz1RIUAAjlECkVEbItKIvTXcYdqTV0DpmZZvE2wOmmuBU4EA2jzKYH2YcZZoAcX5M6AYhAihMCFe0YUCFjZ9NnAMCoGcRRKNYFsJAKThIwEMAqCoCJxD7LJhI1I8MinZj1awRk1FrFUPoswEKRcBZoFIkrauAKjoAwpCkwaMAEQvxgCARk8xMbfFEgAcSVriO1yNCUIIlNDI8EopE2XwF-e6L95hJzDeILI4hZAACpMl4IRBUROaIOBKUJv2b8v5MJgpsb5N1EFI3iHhOIBY5T9l4w3updQKEuoiIFLtfaF0ej4j1YKZqyaWBtCde2118s-7-hgPzJJbYki+FsPc+pYdGAsA9itElnRwTEDsoQS2vLwmEC4CKToMiTmwBLiedoQKDLiBRACgA0lBLkfKWGRl1He9UwCr0HDASkUiXhF4FNfJxBlFVuBKXcBhb6Bcgl2SBC1VqVtwRvCkn2nBKBDBDpHbiMd4ZdiTunV4C6bj9DzDSZ0DJaIoCmDFosGs6GtjtheNaUshR+RQjFGAfVnFU0kmkezPiBlePzE2VxuZPR3HOovh2uW7ruTgltLYPhcN7jdxzVqIopt0DqnhnVX6Xl6I8X7D9MzMd-z3n0AQnoCbvaEmQ99B0+AOHOnwvBZRVsm2LBKn235XH9kgAUtge+KZH67n+pTLw4JfAxNEPePjPQ2CvFmPMDFpgFQzNkOamAlRJDUGoGJTLLozr6BmFQENFRjKVYxoGLFIAgwtCTvoHG-aGtUHxrRmA9HJpUH7W0Cr+gKj6FCP+2Z8wcFBh6nAcbk2uajrTrg9r4gcGLeW6EBESwKgcbaN0GZQA&name=KINQSgcgVghgngCxgdwNYFMBOACAbgZ2wAdkkBXAc2wDYAPa7MAWgAZsAmFzgOgEZ3uLAJysW3ACwBWbuwYAKXgEogA&ply=0&showAllBranches=true&showPTN=true&showText=true" style="height: 600px; max-height: 100vh; max-width: calc(100vw - 30px); width: 100%;" width="100%"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-24411904695176123822019-12-14T10:48:00.001-08:002019-12-14T10:48:50.289-08:00Puzzle #123: Black to Play; Black to TinueHello, all!<br />
<br />
I spent last weekend at PAX and had a great time! Our USTA tournament went very smoothly, I got to play some casual Tak, and relaxed with friends enjoying good food and board games.<br />
<br />
I should probably be writing a post mortem about PAX, but I got excited about ptn.ninja version 3, and so I built a puzzle using the new interface. If you haven't experienced it yet, go check it out!<br />
<br />
For those new to my puzzles, I try to post one every other Saturday night (EST) and respond to answers on Sunday morning. They are usually one of the following types: Tinue (game ending via forced road), Tinue Avoidance (is there a way out?), Gaelet (game ending via flat count), and Best Move (what would you do, and why?).<br />
<br />
The type featured tonight is a Tinue puzzle. Tinue is defined as a board state in which no matter what the opposing player does during their turn (White, in this instance), a road win will be awarded to the other player (Black) on their next turn. If you are familiar with Chess, Tinue is very similar to Checkmate.<br />
<br />
The best way to solve these puzzles is to find a move that forces your opponent into doing something. Then, you use that forced move to force another move, until you have won. Sometimes there are more ways than 1 to go about this. While I love seeing the different variations, usually the shortest path to a forced win is considered best. The following is a simple example to show how this works (you can use the arrow keys to step through the moves and the number keys to select which branch you are following):<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoEQhgLgpgBARAJgAwEYAcA6FSMICxwC6AUMAAoA2YAnlAE4rwDqAFgJbRGmU30LwAhKgGMA1l2AAlKAGcArhQjxJAWiQSAymwBesOAFYJAFTIb4ADzwAaBAHpLVlAGF71lK8e2ENn+ccxGQxJifQwYABN9GBgofQAeAG8eYTYAOwBzGBZ6WDYZGCM0uVgAIyhhMDkZWCEwMQByfIB7VIpqGDpZAAcW6vzO+UUYNJgwGFYOWAB3EdSocyUIOTpUjABfGASATSa5GArUmCrYCGyYVLkAWzK6fKRHG1GKFsyZ05hT2DA6OiapmFEUGo+QgTRgUzAFFEHxYvzk6RYo32uy6FFgTQAZjBag1+t1erI1sQAGxhWIwVRIYghDChGAqFQwJzhPA00kRfQAPgpampoVpYQZMA04QQNIw7Mi3MpMGIQA&ply=0" style="border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" width="500px"></iframe><br />
<br />
Please form your answer with <a href="https://ustak.org/portable-tak-notation/" target="_blank">PTN</a> or a link to your solution via ptn.ninja. Also, be sure to use the spoiler tag so as not to ruin it for later puzzle solvers.<br />
<br />
** I have noticed some people commenting directly to my blog post when answering puzzles. I would kindly ask that you post your answers on the appropriate post on the Reddit page for Tak (<a href="https://reddit.com/r/Tak/" target="_blank">r/tak</a>). This will make it easier for me to respond in a timely manner. On that note, I would like to also apologize to those same people for my delayed replies.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
The new Reddit spoiler tag is shown below:</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
>!spoiler!<</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Ex: >!35. a3> 3b2+!<</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Thank you and enjoy!!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="600px" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#/NoZQlgXgpgBARAVjgXQLAChRgC6zgB2wDsA6IsIgKwEMUNgAVABRHgA8BmAGgCYBGPjwDCXPkID0fUdL4he4tjNE9RC3l0X8ecnuJVSV+mDxh8A7HXQZzJIA&name=White vs Black 5x5&ply=-1" style="height: 600px; max-height: 100vh; max-width: 100vw; width: 100%;" width="100%">
</iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-77496352328140995542019-11-16T16:51:00.001-08:002019-11-16T16:51:17.852-08:00Puzzle #122: Mistakes Were Made? Tinue?Hello, Takkers!<br />
<br />
I have been in the unfortunate situation lately of not having much Tak time. I was able to sit down to a game while riding earlier this week, in an effort to shake off some rust and get back in the game, so to speak. The puzzle tonight comes from that game.<br />
<br />
There are 2 goals to tonight's puzzle: 1) What mistakes can you see (for either side)? 2) The game ended abruptly (I went through a tunnel and lost cell signal), but I believe the end is Tinue for White. What is the Tinue sequence?<br />
<br />
For those new to my puzzles, I try to post one every other Saturday night (EST) and respond to answers on Sunday morning. They are usually one of the following types: Tinue (game ending via forced road), Tinue Avoidance (is there a way out?), Gaelet (game ending via flat count), and Best Move (what would you do, and why?).<br />
<br />
The type featured tonight is a Tinue puzzle. Tinue is defined as a board state in which no matter what the opposing player does during their turn (White, in this instance), a road win will be awarded to the other player (Black) on their next turn. If you are familiar with Chess, Tinue is very similar to Checkmate.<br />
<br />
The best way to solve these puzzles is to find a move that forces your opponent into doing something. Then, you use that forced move to force another move, until you have won. Sometimes there are more ways than 1 to go about this. While I love seeing the different variations, usually the shortest path to a forced win is considered best. The following is a simple example to show how this works (you can use the arrow keys to step through the moves and the number keys to select which branch you are following):<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoEQhgLgpgBARAJgAwEYAcA6FSMICxwC6AUMAAoA2YAnlAE4rwDqAFgJbRGmU30LwAhKgGMA1l2AAlKAGcArhQjxJAWiQSAymwBesOAFYJAFTIb4ADzwAaBAHpLVlAGF71lK8e2ENn+ccxGQxJifQwYABN9GBgofQAeAG8eYTYAOwBzGBZ6WDYZGCM0uVgAIyhhMDkZWCEwMQByfIB7VIpqGDpZAAcW6vzO+UUYNJgwGFYOWAB3EdSocyUIOTpUjABfGASATSa5GArUmCrYCGyYVLkAWzK6fKRHG1GKFsyZ05hT2DA6OiapmFEUGo+QgTRgUzAFFEHxYvzk6RYo32uy6FFgTQAZjBag1+t1erI1sQAGxhWIwVRIYghDChGAqFQwJzhPA00kRfQAPgpampoVpYQZMA04QQNIw7Mi3MpMGIQA&ply=0" style="border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" width="500px"></iframe><br />
<br />
Please form your answer with <a href="https://ustak.org/portable-tak-notation/" target="_blank">PTN</a> or a link to your solution via <a href="https://ptn.ninja/?#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&ply=0" target="_blank">ptn.ninja</a>. Also, be sure to use the spoiler tag so as not to ruin it for later puzzle solvers.<br />
<br />
** I have noticed some people commenting directly to my blog post when answering puzzles. I would kindly ask that you post your answers on the appropriate post on the Reddit page for Tak (<a href="https://reddit.com/r/Tak/" target="_blank">r/tak</a>). This will make it easier for me to respond in a timely manner. On that note, I would like to also apologize to those same people for my delayed replies.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
The new Reddit spoiler tag is shown below:</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
>!spoiler!<</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Ex: >!35. a3> 3b2+!<</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Thank you and enjoy!!<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#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&ply=0" style="border: 0px #ffffff none;" width="500px"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-6290442293281421172019-10-05T18:15:00.001-07:002019-10-05T18:15:03.838-07:00Puzzle #121: Black to Play; Black to TinueHello, all!<br />
<br />
For those new to my puzzles, I try my best to post one every other Saturday night (EST) and respond to the answers on Sunday morning. They are usually one of the following types: Tinue (game ending via forced road), Tinue Avoidance (is there a way out?), Gaelet (game ending via flat count), and Best Move (what would you do, and why?).<br />
<br />
The type featured tonight is a Tinue puzzle. Tinue is defined as a board state in which no matter what the opposing player does during their turn (White, in this instance), a road win will be awarded to the other player (Black) on their next turn. If you are familiar with Chess, Tinue is very similar to Checkmate.<br />
<br />
The best way to solve these puzzles is to find a move that forces your opponent into doing something. Then, you use that forced move to force another move, until you have won. Sometimes there are more ways than 1 to go about this. While I love seeing the different variations, usually the shortest path to a forced win is considered best. The following is a simple example to show how this works (you can use the arrow keys to step through the moves and the number keys to select which branch you are following):<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoEQhgLgpgBARAJgAwEYAcA6FSMICxwC6AUMAAoA2YAnlAE4rwDqAFgJbRGmU30LwAhKgGMA1l2AAlKAGcArhQjxJAWiQSAymwBesOAFYJAFTIb4ADzwAaBAHpLVlAGF71lK8e2ENn+ccxGQxJifQwYABN9GBgofQAeAG8eYTYAOwBzGBZ6WDYZGCM0uVgAIyhhMDkZWCEwMQByfIB7VIpqGDpZAAcW6vzO+UUYNJgwGFYOWAB3EdSocyUIOTpUjABfGASATSa5GArUmCrYCGyYVLkAWzK6fKRHG1GKFsyZ05hT2DA6OiapmFEUGo+QgTRgUzAFFEHxYvzk6RYo32uy6FFgTQAZjBag1+t1erI1sQAGxhWIwVRIYghDChGAqFQwJzhPA00kRfQAPgpampoVpYQZMA04QQNIw7Mi3MpMGIQA&ply=0" style="border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" width="500px"></iframe><br />
<br />
Please form your answer with <a href="https://ustak.org/portable-tak-notation/" target="_blank">PTN</a> or a link to your solution via <a href="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMTIkBWPsAxhisOCIDMALgAsInQrHKeaKACcJ8AOoALSFFOpzFkfABCqfNmUBhJEIfeAkdMRgAaiVKYAAlKABnAFckZjhlcAAvDWiqDAQQEIAaAA8RIpEJCoB6Eq0KiXKS6vLGosa-BvaW9saQds6S7qqSvRh3CQA2PgogA" target="_blank">ptn.ninja</a>. Also, be sure to use the spoiler tag so as not to ruin it for later puzzle solvers.<br />
<br />
** I have noticed some people commenting directly to my blog post when answering puzzles. I would kindly ask that you post your answers on the appropriate post on the Reddit page for Tak (<a href="https://reddit.com/r/Tak/" target="_blank">r/tak</a>). This will make it easier for me to respond in a timely manner.<br />
<br />
<div>
<br />
The new Reddit spoiler tag is shown below:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
>!spoiler!<</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ex: >!35. a3> 3b2+!<<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
Thank you and enjoy!!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMTIkBWPsAxhisOCIDMALgAsInQrHKeaKACcJ8AOoALSFFOpzFkfABCqfNmUBhJEIfeAkdMRgAaiVKYAAlKABnAFckZjhlcAAvDWiqDAQQEIAaAA8RIpEJCoB6Eq0KiXKS6vLGosa-BvaW9saQds6S7qqSvRh3CQA2PgogA" style="border: 0px #ffffff none;" width="450px"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-20310907612320958192019-09-22T14:00:00.003-07:002019-09-22T14:00:59.045-07:00Puzzle #120: White to Play; White to TinueHello, Takkers!<br />
<br />
I thought I had a good Tinue avoidance puzzle for this week, but I just kept finding ways for White to win :)<br />
<br />
For those new to my puzzles, I try my best to post one every other Saturday night (EST) and respond to answers on Sunday morning. They are usually one of the following types: Tinue (game ending via forced road), Tinue Avoidance (is there a way out?), Gaelet (game ending via flat count), and Best Move (what would you do, and why?).<br />
<br />
The type featured tonight is a Tinue puzzle. Tinue is defined as a board state in which no matter what the opposing player does during their turn (White, in this instance), a road win will be awarded to the other player (Black) on their next turn. If you are familiar with Chess, Tinue is very similar to Checkmate.<br />
<br />
The best way to solve these puzzles is to find a move that forces your opponent into doing something. Then, you use that forced move to force another move, until you have won. Sometimes there are more ways than 1 to go about this. While I love seeing the different variations, usually the shortest path to a forced win is considered best. The following is a simple example to show how this works (you can use the arrow keys to step through the moves and the number keys to select which branch you are following):<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoEQhgLgpgBARAJgAwEYAcA6FSMICxwC6AUMAAoA2YAnlAE4rwDqAFgJbRGmU30LwAhKgGMA1l2AAlKAGcArhQjxJAWiQSAymwBesOAFYJAFTIb4ADzwAaBAHpLVlAGF71lK8e2ENn+ccxGQxJifQwYABN9GBgofQAeAG8eYTYAOwBzGBZ6WDYZGCM0uVgAIyhhMDkZWCEwMQByfIB7VIpqGDpZAAcW6vzO+UUYNJgwGFYOWAB3EdSocyUIOTpUjABfGASATSa5GArUmCrYCGyYVLkAWzK6fKRHG1GKFsyZ05hT2DA6OiapmFEUGo+QgTRgUzAFFEHxYvzk6RYo32uy6FFgTQAZjBag1+t1erI1sQAGxhWIwVRIYghDChGAqFQwJzhPA00kRfQAPgpampoVpYQZMA04QQNIw7Mi3MpMGIQA&ply=0" style="border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" width="500px"></iframe><br />
<br />
Please form your answer with <a href="https://ustak.org/portable-tak-notation/" target="_blank">PTN</a> or a link to your solution via <a href="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMTIkBWPsAxhisOCIDMALgUidEicp5ooAJwnwA6gAtIUE6jPmR8AEKp82ZQGEkhN7wEjpiMADUSpTAAEpQAM4ArkjMcMrgAF4aUVQYCCCiADQSIoUiIhLFZQD0lQAexeVGIiDFrXW1VeVNPRK+Zc39HQ3NXYXDXRKtpVZWACxafBRAA" target="_blank">ptn.ninja</a>. Also, be sure to use the spoiler tag so as not to ruin it for later puzzle solvers.<br />
<br />
** I have noticed some people commenting directly to my blog post when answering puzzles. I would kindly ask that you post your answers on the appropriate post on the Reddit page for Tak (<a href="https://reddit.com/r/Tak/" target="_blank">r/tak</a>). This will make it easier for me to respond in a timely manner. On that note, I would like to also apologize to those same people for my delayed replies.<br />
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</div>
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<div style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
The new Reddit spoiler tag is shown below:</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
>!spoiler!<</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Ex: >!35. a3> 3b2+!<</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
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</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Thank you and enjoy!!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMTIkBWPsAxhisOCIDMALgUidEicp5ooAJwnwA6gAtIUE6jPmR8AEKp82ZQGEkhN7wEjpiMADUSpTAAEpQAM4ArkjMcMrgAF4aUVQYCCCiADQSIoUiIhLFZQD0lQAexeVGIiDFrXW1VeVNPRK+Zc39HQ3NXYXDXRKtpVZWACxafBRAA" style="border: 0px #ffffff none;" width="450px"></iframe></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-89360468707409681162019-09-07T17:47:00.001-07:002019-09-07T17:47:09.711-07:00Puzzle #119: White to Play; White to TinueHello, Takkers!<br />
<br />
For those new to my puzzles, I try my best to post one every other Saturday night (EST) and respond to answers on Sunday morning. They are usually one of the following types: Tinue (game ending via forced road), Tinue Avoidance (is there a way out?), Gaelet (game ending via flat count), and Best Move (what would you do, and why?).<br />
<br />
The type featured tonight is a Tinue puzzle. Tinue is defined as a board state in which no matter what the opposing player does during their turn (White, in this instance), a road win will be awarded to the other player (Black) on their next turn. If you are familiar with Chess, Tinue is very similar to Checkmate.<br />
<br />
The best way to solve these puzzles is to find a move that forces your opponent into doing something. Then, you use that forced move to force another move, until you have won. Sometimes there are more ways than 1 to go about this. While I love seeing the different variations, usually the shortest path to a forced win is considered best. The following is a simple example to show how this works (you can use the arrow keys to step through the moves and the number keys to select which branch you are following):<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoEQhgLgpgBARAJgAwEYAcA6FSMICxwC6AUMAAoA2YAnlAE4rwDqAFgJbRGmU30LwAhKgGMA1l2AAlKAGcArhQjxJAWiQSAymwBesOAFYJAFTIb4ADzwAaBAHpLVlAGF71lK8e2ENn+ccxGQxJifQwYABN9GBgofQAeAG8eYTYAOwBzGBZ6WDYZGCM0uVgAIyhhMDkZWCEwMQByfIB7VIpqGDpZAAcW6vzO+UUYNJgwGFYOWAB3EdSocyUIOTpUjABfGASATSa5GArUmCrYCGyYVLkAWzK6fKRHG1GKFsyZ05hT2DA6OiapmFEUGo+QgTRgUzAFFEHxYvzk6RYo32uy6FFgTQAZjBag1+t1erI1sQAGxhWIwVRIYghDChGAqFQwJzhPA00kRfQAPgpampoVpYQZMA04QQNIw7Mi3MpMGIQA&ply=0" style="border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" width="500px"></iframe><br />
<br />
Please form your answer with <a href="https://ustak.org/portable-tak-notation/" target="_blank">PTN</a> or a link to your solution via <a href="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMTLEBmPsAxhisOOIBcIgBw6AbMp5ooAJwnwA6gAtIUY6lNmR8AEKp82ZQGEkhL3gJAFYtMRgAagUxZQAlKABnAFckZjhlcAAvDSNKFQQQIIAaCRKikR8igA8RAHoqkolSkQkRcpEWyraq+vKQMrbSiVq20bKa2qHq8uq6weqAFhhLcT4KIA" target="_blank">ptn.ninja</a>. Also, be sure to use the spoiler tag so as not to ruin it for later puzzle solvers.<br />
<br />
** I have noticed some people commenting directly to my blog post when answering puzzles. I would kindly ask that you post your answers on the appropriate post on the Reddit page for Tak (<a href="https://reddit.com/r/Tak/" target="_blank">r/tak</a>). This will make it easier for me to respond in a timely manner. On that note, I would like to also apologize to those same people for my delayed replies.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
The new Reddit spoiler tag is shown below:</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
>!spoiler!<</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Ex: >!35. a3> 3b2+!<</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Thank you and enjoy!!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMTLEBmPsAxhisOOIBcIgBw6AbMp5ooAJwnwA6gAtIUY6lNmR8AEKp82ZQGEkhL3gJAFYtMRgAagUxZQAlKABnAFckZjhlcAAvDSNKFQQQIIAaCRKikR8igA8RAHoqkolSkQkRcpEWyraq+vKQMrbSiVq20bKa2qHq8uq6weqAFhhLcT4KIA" style="border: 0px #ffffff none;" width="450px"></iframe>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-12166172094934219462019-08-24T17:23:00.002-07:002019-08-24T17:23:40.252-07:00Puzzle #118: Black to Play; Black to TinueHello, Takkers!<br />
<br />
Here is a nice puzzle user ManaT shared with me from a game he played last week. I hope you find it as enjoyable as I did! If you have a board state that you would like made into a puzzle, just let me know and I can post it, or help you do the same.<br />
<br />
For those new to my puzzles, I try my best to post one every other Saturday night (EST) and respond to the answers on Sunday morning. They are usually one of the following types: Tinue (game ending via forced road), Tinue Avoidance (is there a way out?), Gaelet (game ending via flat count), and Best Move (what would you do, and why?).<br />
<br />
The type featured tonight is a Tinue puzzle. Tinue is defined as a board state in which no matter what the opposing player does during their turn (White, in this instance), a road win will be awarded to the other player (Black) on their next turn. If you are familiar with Chess, Tinue is very similar to Checkmate.<br />
<br />
The best way to solve these puzzles is to find a move that forces your opponent into doing something. Then, you use that forced move to force another move, until you have won. Sometimes there are more ways than 1 to go about this. While I love seeing the different variations, usually the shortest path to a forced win is considered best. The following is a simple example to show how this works (you can use the arrow keys to step through the moves and the number keys to select which branch you are following):<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoEQhgLgpgBARAJgAwEYAcA6FSMICxwC6AUMAAoA2YAnlAE4rwDqAFgJbRGmU30LwAhKgGMA1l2AAlKAGcArhQjxJAWiQSAymwBesOAFYJAFTIb4ADzwAaBAHpLVlAGF71lK8e2ENn+ccxGQxJifQwYABN9GBgofQAeAG8eYTYAOwBzGBZ6WDYZGCM0uVgAIyhhMDkZWCEwMQByfIB7VIpqGDpZAAcW6vzO+UUYNJgwGFYOWAB3EdSocyUIOTpUjABfGASATSa5GArUmCrYCGyYVLkAWzK6fKRHG1GKFsyZ05hT2DA6OiapmFEUGo+QgTRgUzAFFEHxYvzk6RYo32uy6FFgTQAZjBag1+t1erI1sQAGxhWIwVRIYghDChGAqFQwJzhPA00kRfQAPgpampoVpYQZMA04QQNIw7Mi3MpMGIQA&ply=0" style="border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" width="500px"></iframe><br />
<br />
Please form your answer with <a href="https://ustak.org/portable-tak-notation/" target="_blank">PTN</a> or a link to your solution via <a href="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMQA5c0vsAxhisOGLEAuAMw6Ju5TzRQAThPgB1ABaQox1KbMj4AIVT5sygMJJCXvASAKzaYjAA1PrKAEpQAM4ArkjMcMrgAF4aAGzKGAggQQA0EiVlIiBFIgD0AB4iZfUlIhKtNbXlEj5FHQ3t5ZWtEiLdDbV1fSWDVdWlLS3DVYsNpbUwrroSfBRAA" target="_blank">ptn.ninja</a>. Also, be sure to use the spoiler tag so as not to ruin it for later puzzle solvers.<br />
<br />
** I have noticed some people commenting directly to my blog post when answering puzzles. I would kindly ask that you post your answers on the appropriate post on the Reddit page for Tak (<a href="https://reddit.com/r/Tak/" target="_blank">r/tak</a>). This will make it easier for me to respond in a timely manner.<br />
<br />
<div>
<br />
The new Reddit spoiler tag is shown below:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
>!spoiler!<</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ex: >!35. a3> 3b2+!<<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
Thank you and enjoy!!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMQA5c0vsAxhisOGLEAuAMw6Ju5TzRQAThPgB1ABaQox1KbMj4AIVT5sygMJJCXvASAKzaYjAA1PrKAEpQAM4ArkjMcMrgAF4aAGzKGAggQQA0EiVlIiBFIgD0AB4iZfUlIhKtNbXlEj5FHQ3t5ZWtEiLdDbV1fSWDVdWlLS3DVYsNpbUwrroSfBRAA" style="border: 0px #ffffff none;" width="500px"></iframe>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-9282147348298188292019-08-10T18:06:00.002-07:002019-08-10T18:06:46.527-07:00GenCon Post Mortem & Puzzle #117<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
With my second GenCon in the books, and my routine somewhat recovered, I thought I'd take a few minutes and offer my thoughts on the event.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7EEs8xga_e04TURgJzl82znCEK8ZjqMPeN-dn_yjac7vH7SGWQDwzAynvShaXST4MSOPw4ujG-uI-n_qtcbCNkQhmFvsQP1Qw-Et-LcdvyFwctd9MW77dIoJEtEoyGlLeXSBE8YBqEvs/s1600/IMG_20190803_174957437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7EEs8xga_e04TURgJzl82znCEK8ZjqMPeN-dn_yjac7vH7SGWQDwzAynvShaXST4MSOPw4ujG-uI-n_qtcbCNkQhmFvsQP1Qw-Et-LcdvyFwctd9MW77dIoJEtEoyGlLeXSBE8YBqEvs/s200/IMG_20190803_174957437.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgPoR55Fc4YcUWrbTrOKwIX2lalVejoCwvZ8_LYBRAQLS7UzKkMAgUniRr8tf2jVyXfpo_XC89q2vBBW4Z4XWVdiDqvNwKWpuYioPWXTwOyvJ4mFbFGRzPdWn-CYjXeBo0ig8R2Vmdbtd/s1600/IMG_20190803_165832964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgPoR55Fc4YcUWrbTrOKwIX2lalVejoCwvZ8_LYBRAQLS7UzKkMAgUniRr8tf2jVyXfpo_XC89q2vBBW4Z4XWVdiDqvNwKWpuYioPWXTwOyvJ4mFbFGRzPdWn-CYjXeBo0ig8R2Vmdbtd/s200/IMG_20190803_165832964.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElbrQRJUBwLc3gmNkrXszDv2Kx2rWIFTPypnfWLjDQy-pd3bT7zuet-lHdoI4lxc5HpsQDEoSxmAAr-cwECL35QQMFf-Vx4FJXWWdAIPaaml3qo4CqvvdjirbsdfIuUmwbs9CKmh4hBIc/s1600/IMG_20190801_092529602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElbrQRJUBwLc3gmNkrXszDv2Kx2rWIFTPypnfWLjDQy-pd3bT7zuet-lHdoI4lxc5HpsQDEoSxmAAr-cwECL35QQMFf-Vx4FJXWWdAIPaaml3qo4CqvvdjirbsdfIuUmwbs9CKmh4hBIc/s200/IMG_20190801_092529602.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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The USTA held 6 events this year: 3 Learn to Play/Casual events, 2 Swiss/Round Robin tournament qualifiers, and a Double Elimination finals containing the top 4 from each qualifier. All events were successful! We had a good turnout, no issues with equipment or people, and all who attended seemed to enjoy themselves. We welcome feedback about these events so that we can continue to cater to what the community wants. We have already received some tips for next year and will try to work those in to our plans.</div>
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We were lucky to have Greater than Games as our major sponsor this year. They provided the means to offer bigger prizes and, just as importantly, if not more so, they let us hold the finals in their demo room. While the play hall is nice for visibility, it lacks the professionalism and the reduced ambient noise that the demo room offers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlV4a9I9bztVZN0gcv4aRf28KHFgmsduho_FSTRgDF7-VFqMXtR21R09XxHI1Zk7kgBXz313i-zRrfIKSnns4evJCprTdThKOD1bWWjy-9BqHwpJyAiMfZfiqJnjhe7CV_jfLnG_Br9_9/s1600/IMG_20190803_180239542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1600" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlV4a9I9bztVZN0gcv4aRf28KHFgmsduho_FSTRgDF7-VFqMXtR21R09XxHI1Zk7kgBXz313i-zRrfIKSnns4evJCprTdThKOD1bWWjy-9BqHwpJyAiMfZfiqJnjhe7CV_jfLnG_Br9_9/s200/IMG_20190803_180239542.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_GALsWdiu7HBhMBz7uRDOmuiiKUrtAj-RuEBtm-PlM0BiTeDbHsbcgtsM6rn54E315AugGjIAO7yCN3z30y3isUu9CEmVnr70RXLpdeJizxTHbgGNKMUsx7oDFxeyI5pqKxm4T8wbamj/s1600/IMG_20190804_112931673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="1600" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_GALsWdiu7HBhMBz7uRDOmuiiKUrtAj-RuEBtm-PlM0BiTeDbHsbcgtsM6rn54E315AugGjIAO7yCN3z30y3isUu9CEmVnr70RXLpdeJizxTHbgGNKMUsx7oDFxeyI5pqKxm4T8wbamj/s320/IMG_20190804_112931673.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Being a bigger company than Cheapass Games means that GtG was able to advertise more at the convention. It was extremely nice to see Tak in big, bold letters in the main corridor at the convention, where 70,000 walked by throughout the long weekend. This kind of publicity should help our small game grow in popularity quicker than the word of mouth advertising we have been relying on.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrLrLDdLmBYjY38vUHobOHTtYOpQVDw_nZ43TKkAOVfHEDBdVzlYDlZFmxBaLz6Hx7sMmDH4ADB9C9aVhW3YALnrg1-A1Mt1v9-6AGMqxSaPglNo5t-5LUG7chUpNphZHKPt5O2c5vP6G/s1600/IMG_20190804_114400478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1119" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrLrLDdLmBYjY38vUHobOHTtYOpQVDw_nZ43TKkAOVfHEDBdVzlYDlZFmxBaLz6Hx7sMmDH4ADB9C9aVhW3YALnrg1-A1Mt1v9-6AGMqxSaPglNo5t-5LUG7chUpNphZHKPt5O2c5vP6G/s200/IMG_20190804_114400478.jpg" width="139" /></a></div>
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I got to see my puzzles in print after happening upon the Game Trade Magazine booth! This was exciting, as I have only seen the pdf proofs up until now.</div>
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Outside of the Tak events, I crammed in as much fun as I could. I participated in a one-off D&D session, survived the True Dungeon, stayed up way too late, played some new games, walked the exhibition hall, and made a couple crafted items for my kids. Even though I overbooked this year and had to skip 3 of my events because of reasons like eating, I regret nothing. I would rather pack it to bursting than waste time during this once a year happening.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9GqBBpgLFs4dTGAfcavZ5dJBogKG8qEB3DmkiOw6jQi8dmpjNDe8zu8TJQipsrzhgQzHgzBVc6E2kctm4HFa3Si5fZ34patrg2lDe_HzF8ftQrLX2tvqjGtfdPSC2v4Dw-hs3VcnR6-Q/s1600/IMG_20190802_132223849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvX07IglGTsi2CJ6VlJ3M3gNJ1HyzLB2klxh6FfspdJB102LyA74Fcq3_d4zPsmmEdniu2r2VsxJovRdBAS5IQv_TWs9IZdmg_Pij7ho33UftEVJbPQ3YtNwnmGJ48Gy3WGylkkvfCpXE/s1600/IMG_20190803_120613605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4E1xpQA_bcC2tqXoiPmZLXq9IBWqjoQNhnmyBA9lHAaE5OXh4JnueiPvpqoAoj24F_U3zmBMZux5MoleWzxJTR0GKDvAVWeiO3EQxh7cg5NviAAIaXi-BgkUrMsGApiCTAr02dIUd2AF/s1600/IMG_20190803_094103081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4E1xpQA_bcC2tqXoiPmZLXq9IBWqjoQNhnmyBA9lHAaE5OXh4JnueiPvpqoAoj24F_U3zmBMZux5MoleWzxJTR0GKDvAVWeiO3EQxh7cg5NviAAIaXi-BgkUrMsGApiCTAr02dIUd2AF/s200/IMG_20190803_094103081.jpg" width="200" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvX07IglGTsi2CJ6VlJ3M3gNJ1HyzLB2klxh6FfspdJB102LyA74Fcq3_d4zPsmmEdniu2r2VsxJovRdBAS5IQv_TWs9IZdmg_Pij7ho33UftEVJbPQ3YtNwnmGJ48Gy3WGylkkvfCpXE/s200/IMG_20190803_120613605.jpg" width="150" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9GqBBpgLFs4dTGAfcavZ5dJBogKG8qEB3DmkiOw6jQi8dmpjNDe8zu8TJQipsrzhgQzHgzBVc6E2kctm4HFa3Si5fZ34patrg2lDe_HzF8ftQrLX2tvqjGtfdPSC2v4Dw-hs3VcnR6-Q/s200/IMG_20190802_132223849.jpg" width="150" /> </div>
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The most amazing part of GenCon: the people that attend. It is incredible to be able to interact with such nice people that, while they may not share your exact interests, are willing to listen to you babble on about them...and then tell you about their interests with such passion that it makes you want to go out right now and try it. If you have never been, I highly recommend looking into it next year!</div>
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P.S. Here's a White-to-Move Tinue puzzle from one of the tournament qualifiers that I chanced upon:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIg9E2ioFEdxld48oeeYVEWri5jDdJe16gHH8iu0_vafgoGwffoE9naxSGIx-WiYnriCS9lRaGfCqLKtMHZAXHv2hBux9WPewRTkfRnh1sr-Jz9zi8H-Ls3hanQaUujSKgk5rjIs62vA2X/s1600/IMG_20190802_152509303_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIg9E2ioFEdxld48oeeYVEWri5jDdJe16gHH8iu0_vafgoGwffoE9naxSGIx-WiYnriCS9lRaGfCqLKtMHZAXHv2hBux9WPewRTkfRnh1sr-Jz9zi8H-Ls3hanQaUujSKgk5rjIs62vA2X/s640/IMG_20190802_152509303_HDR.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-86146178502467249092019-07-20T19:19:00.000-07:002019-07-20T19:19:22.861-07:00A Proposed Method for FPA CompensationFirst Player Advantage (FPA) Compensation<br />
<br />
For instances when a match consists of a single game instead of a pair.<br />
<br />
I enjoy playing both as Black and White in casual and tournament settings. The difference in strategies appeals to me, and, on size 6, the FPA is lessened enough (compared to size 5 and smaller) to make playing Black more than an exercise in futility when playing a skilled opponent.<br />
<br />
However, this topic comes up frequently on the boards, and, since the playtak database is offline tonight and hindering my puzzle, I decided to flesh out an idea that has been bouncing around my head.<br />
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The goal of any FPA "solution" should be to maximize player satisfaction. FPA-compensated Tak should retain all the complexity of the standard game. The only difference should be that you walk away from the table satisfied that, after only 1 game, the declared winner played the better game.<br />
<br />
For those unfamiliar with FPA in regards to Tak, it boils down to this: First Player can make a Tak threat first, forcing Second Player to either capture or place a wall. This initial pressure causes 4 intertwined disadvantages for the Second Player:<br />
<br />
1. Second Player disrupts their board position in order to defend against this first salvo.<br />
<br />
2. Second Player loses the opportunity to place a stone because they use a turn to capture. This affects their reserve stones, meaning that they are at a disadvantage during the end game because the first player with 1 stone remaining can decide when to end the game.<br />
<br />
3. Second Player incurs prisoner liability as a result of the capture.<br />
<br />
4. Second Player is not able to increase their flat count because of the capture.<br />
<br />
These disadvantages can snowball, as a skilled First Player leverages them into an increasingly beneficial board state for themselves.<br />
<br />
My presented FPA compensation is a combination of 3 methods that attempts to both reduce the initial momentum of this snowball and lessen its impact on the game's result.<br />
<br />
1. Pie start (positional compensation)<br />
<br />
First Player places 3 stones of each color.<br />
Second Player chooses which color to play.<br />
<br />
2. Choose Cairn (prisoner liability and reserve stone compensation)<br />
<br />
Second Player puts a flat stone from their reserve under an existing pie stone.<br />
<br />
3. Komi (flat count compensation)<br />
<br />
If the game ends by any means requiring a flat count, Black gets +1 to their flat count.<br />
<br />
This solution can be easily adjusted as time goes by and more data is collected. Each part can be tweaked: the number of stones used in the pie start, the number of cairns, and the komi can all be increased or decreased, making this solution adaptable and customizable. It also leaves gameplay mechanics intact except for the initial stone placements.<br />
<br />
I look forward to trying this out soon!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-87497702380441433102019-07-06T17:52:00.002-07:002019-07-06T17:52:49.229-07:00Puzzle #116: White to Play; White to TinueHello, Takkers!<br />
<br />
Another size 5 puzzle to help balance out the size 6 ones that nqeron is posting, this one comes from an Aaaarghbot game I played early in the week. It did not end in Tinue, but I found this branch while reviewing the game and thought it was a really interesting one.<br />
<br />
For those new to my puzzles, I try my best to post one every other Saturday night (EST). They are usually one of the following types: Tinue (game ending via forced road), Tinue Avoidance (is there a way out?), Gaelet (game ending via flat count), and Best Move (what would you do, and why?).<br />
<br />
The type featured tonight is a Tinue puzzle. Tinue is defined as a board state in which no matter what the opposing player does during their turn (White, in this instance), a road win will be awarded to the other player (Black) on their next turn. If you are familiar with Chess, Tinue is very similar to Checkmate.<br />
<br />
The best way to solve these puzzles is to find a move that forces your opponent into doing something. Then, you use that forced move to force another move, until you have won. Sometimes there are more ways than 1 to go about this. While I love seeing the different variations, usually the shortest path to a forced win is considered best. The following is a simple example to show how this works (you can use the arrow keys to step through the moves and the number keys to select which branch you are following):<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoEQhgLgpgBARAJgAwEYAcA6FSMICxwC6AUMAAoA2YAnlAE4rwDqAFgJbRGmU30LwAhKgGMA1l2AAlKAGcArhQjxJAWiQSAymwBesOAFYJAFTIb4ADzwAaBAHpLVlAGF71lK8e2ENn+ccxGQxJifQwYABN9GBgofQAeAG8eYTYAOwBzGBZ6WDYZGCM0uVgAIyhhMDkZWCEwMQByfIB7VIpqGDpZAAcW6vzO+UUYNJgwGFYOWAB3EdSocyUIOTpUjABfGASATSa5GArUmCrYCGyYVLkAWzK6fKRHG1GKFsyZ05hT2DA6OiapmFEUGo+QgTRgUzAFFEHxYvzk6RYo32uy6FFgTQAZjBag1+t1erI1sQAGxhWIwVRIYghDChGAqFQwJzhPA00kRfQAPgpampoVpYQZMA04QQNIw7Mi3MpMGIQA&ply=0" style="border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" width="500px"></iframe><br />
<br />
Please form your answer with <a href="https://ustak.org/portable-tak-notation/" target="_blank">PTN</a> or a link to your solution via <a href="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMQHZZIvsAxhisOBIAcALjEAWHQFYllYDzRQAThPgB1ABaQoyi9ZHwAQqnzZlAYSRCX3gJPRgAaiNlACUoAGcAVyRmOGVwAC8NaLMMBBB4AA8AGgliwoBmAHoSkQl-YpFGhokqiQk60qamspEa0vLG8v6O8p6YWwl9PgogA" target="_blank">ptn.ninja</a>. Also, be sure to use the spoiler tag so as not to ruin it for later puzzle solvers.<br />
<br />
** I have noticed some people commenting directly to my blog post when answering puzzles. I would kindly ask that you post your answers on the appropriate post on the Reddit page for Tak (<a href="https://reddit.com/r/Tak/" target="_blank">r/tak</a>). This will make it easier for me to respond in a timely manner. On that note, I would like to also apologize to those same people for my delayed replies.<br />
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<div style="font-family: "times new roman";">
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The new Reddit spoiler tag is shown below:</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
>!spoiler!<</div>
</div>
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Ex: >!35. a3> 3b2+!<</div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
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Thank you and enjoy!!<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMQHZZIvsAxhisOBIAcALjEAWHQFYllYDzRQAThPgB1ABaQoyi9ZHwAQqnzZlAYSRCX3gJPRgAaiNlACUoAGcAVyRmOGVwAC8NaLMMBBB4AA8AGgliwoBmAHoSkQl-YpFGhokqiQk60qamspEa0vLG8v6O8p6YWwl9PgogA" style="border: 0px #ffffff none;" width="500px"></iframe>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-66697244812267293892019-06-22T18:18:00.002-07:002019-06-22T18:18:46.075-07:00Puzzle #115: Black to Play; Black to TinueHello, all!<br />
<br />
Here is a <b><i>fantastic </i></b>(in my opinion) puzzle. See if you find it as interesting as I do!<br />
<br />
For those new to my puzzles, I try my best to post one every Saturday night (EST) and respond to the answers on Sunday morning. They are usually one of the following types: Tinue (game ending via forced road), Tinue Avoidance (is there a way out?), Gaelet (game ending via flat count), and Best Move (what would you do, and why?).<br />
<br />
The type featured tonight is a Tinue puzzle. Tinue is defined as a board state in which no matter what the opposing player does during their turn (White, in this instance), a road win will be awarded to the other player (Black) on their next turn. If you are familiar with Chess, Tinue is very similar to Checkmate.<br />
<br />
The best way to solve these puzzles is to find a move that forces your opponent into doing something. Then, you use that forced move to force another move, until you have won. Sometimes there are more ways than 1 to go about this. While I love seeing the different variations, usually the shortest path to a forced win is considered best. The following is a simple example to show how this works (you can use the arrow keys to step through the moves and the number keys to select which branch you are following):<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoEQhgLgpgBARAJgAwEYAcA6FSMICxwC6AUMAAoA2YAnlAE4rwDqAFgJbRGmU30LwAhKgGMA1l2AAlKAGcArhQjxJAWiQSAymwBesOAFYJAFTIb4ADzwAaBAHpLVlAGF71lK8e2ENn+ccxGQxJifQwYABN9GBgofQAeAG8eYTYAOwBzGBZ6WDYZGCM0uVgAIyhhMDkZWCEwMQByfIB7VIpqGDpZAAcW6vzO+UUYNJgwGFYOWAB3EdSocyUIOTpUjABfGASATSa5GArUmCrYCGyYVLkAWzK6fKRHG1GKFsyZ05hT2DA6OiapmFEUGo+QgTRgUzAFFEHxYvzk6RYo32uy6FFgTQAZjBag1+t1erI1sQAGxhWIwVRIYghDChGAqFQwJzhPA00kRfQAPgpampoVpYQZMA04QQNIw7Mi3MpMGIQA&ply=0" style="border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" width="500px"></iframe><br />
<br />
Please form your answer with <a href="https://ustak.org/portable-tak-notation/" target="_blank">PTN</a> or a link to your solution via <a href="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMSNwiArH2AYwxWHBEiAXABYA7DonLKwHmigAnCfADqAC0hQVF6yPgAhVPmwqAwkiEvvASOmIwANSmVABKUADOAK5IzHAq4ABemjGqCCDwAB4ANBLFhSLFIgD0ZRL+peVVIhISNWWVLSIgVeXVIg0lXY0SILWNnR0wHuJ8FEA" target="_blank">ptn.ninja</a>. Also, be sure to use the spoiler tag so as not to ruin it for later puzzle solvers.<br />
<br />
** I have noticed some people commenting directly to my blog post when answering puzzles. I would kindly ask that you post your answers on the appropriate post on the Reddit page for Tak (<a href="https://reddit.com/r/Tak/" target="_blank">r/tak</a>). This will make it easier for me to respond in a timely manner.<br />
<br />
<div>
<br />
The new Reddit spoiler tag is shown below:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
>!spoiler!<</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ex: >!35. a3> 3b2+!<<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
Thank you and enjoy!!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMQDZcEgMx9gGMMVhwJcgFwAWAKy7Dc1TzRQAThPgB1ABaQo51Jasj4AIVT5sqgGEkQj94CV0xGABqQ1UAJSgAZwBXJGY4VXAALy1YyjUEEHgADxEAGgky8okAelKKioCy4rrDOqqJEU7mpRrKyvLBmE8JMT4KIA" style="border: 0px #ffffff none;" width="500px"></iframe>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-36486204084684987972019-06-08T18:53:00.000-07:002019-06-08T18:53:26.030-07:00Puzzle #114: White to Play; White to TinueHello, Takkers!<br />
<br />
I have a size 5 puzzle for you tonight that I found fun. This was a game I played against a bot this past week. I ran out of time on this board state, while plotting and planning. So, let's see if your plots and plans are the same as mine.<br />
<br />
For those new to my puzzles, I try my best to post one every Saturday night (EST). They are usually one of the following types: Tinue (game ending via forced road), Tinue Avoidance (is there a way out?), Gaelet (game ending via flat count), and Best Move (what would you do, and why?).<br />
<br />
The type featured tonight is a Tinue puzzle. Tinue is defined as a board state in which no matter what the opposing player does during their turn (White, in this instance), a road win will be awarded to the other player (Black) on their next turn. If you are familiar with Chess, Tinue is very similar to Checkmate.<br />
<br />
The best way to solve these puzzles is to find a move that forces your opponent into doing something. Then, you use that forced move to force another move, until you have won. Sometimes there are more ways than 1 to go about this. While I love seeing the different variations, usually the shortest path to a forced win is considered best. The following is a simple example to show how this works (you can use the arrow keys to step through the moves and the number keys to select which branch you are following):<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoEQhgLgpgBARAJgAwEYAcA6FSMICxwC6AUMAAoA2YAnlAE4rwDqAFgJbRGmU30LwAhKgGMA1l2AAlKAGcArhQjxJAWiQSAymwBesOAFYJAFTIb4ADzwAaBAHpLVlAGF71lK8e2ENn+ccxGQxJifQwYABN9GBgofQAeAG8eYTYAOwBzGBZ6WDYZGCM0uVgAIyhhMDkZWCEwMQByfIB7VIpqGDpZAAcW6vzO+UUYNJgwGFYOWAB3EdSocyUIOTpUjABfGASATSa5GArUmCrYCGyYVLkAWzK6fKRHG1GKFsyZ05hT2DA6OiapmFEUGo+QgTRgUzAFFEHxYvzk6RYo32uy6FFgTQAZjBag1+t1erI1sQAGxhWIwVRIYghDChGAqFQwJzhPA00kRfQAPgpampoVpYQZMA04QQNIw7Mi3MpMGIQA&ply=0" style="border-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" width="500px"></iframe><br />
<br />
Please form your answer with <a href="https://ustak.org/portable-tak-notation/" target="_blank">PTN</a> or a link to your solution via <a href="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMQFZc4vsAxhisOGLEAuCQDZtAZgAsynmigAnCfADqAC0hQzqC5ZHwAQqnzZlAYSRCX3gJbTEYAGo5ZQAlKABnAFckZjhlcAAvDRjKFQQQUJF-ABoADxESiRKRAHoymqqmupEJSraJUsqGup6a6o6RVpAq2sru-pqYGxFcigogA" target="_blank">ptn.ninja</a>. Also, be sure to use the spoiler tag so as not to ruin it for later puzzle solvers.<br />
<br />
** I have noticed some people commenting directly to my blog post when answering puzzles. I would kindly ask that you post your answers on the appropriate post on the Reddit page for Tak (<a href="https://reddit.com/r/Tak/" target="_blank">r/tak</a>). This will make it easier for me to respond in a timely manner. On that note, I would like to also apologize to those same people for my delayed replies.<br />
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<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
The new Reddit spoiler tag is shown below:</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
>!spoiler!<</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Ex: >!35. a3> 3b2+!<</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Thank you and enjoy!!<br />
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<br /></div>
</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="400px" marginheight="0px" marginwidth="0px" name="myiFrame" scrolling="no" src="https://ptn.ninja/?#NoZQlgLgpgBARABQDYEMCeAVFBrAdAYwHsBbOAXQChgBRANygDsJ4B5BpMB2ZdcqgERTR4AJgAMARgCcuMQFZc4vsAxhisOGLEAuCQDZtAZgAsynmigAnCfADqAC0hQzqC5ZHwAQqnzZlAYSRCX3gJbTEYAGo5ZQAlKABnAFckZjhlcAAvDRjKFQQQUJF-ABoADxESiRKRAHoymqqmupEJSraJUsqGup6a6o6RVpAq2sru-pqYGxFcigogA" style="border: 0px #ffffff none;" width="500px"></iframe>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344875565140685010.post-32795038564906997262019-05-27T07:21:00.000-07:002019-05-27T07:21:25.946-07:00Puzzle #113: Black to Play; Best MoveHello, Takolytes!<br />
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Nqeron has been paying since nice 6x6 puzzles, so I thought I'd post a size 5 one.<br />
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Here's a game I played against Aaaarghbot early in the week. It ended in Tinue, but I thought this point in the game was the turning point, so I made it Bestinto a Move puzzle. What would you do at this point in the game and why?<br />
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For those new to my puzzles, I try my best to post one every Saturday night (EST) and respond to answers on Sunday morning. They are usually one of the following types: Tinue (game ending via forced road), Tinue Avoidance (is there a way out?), Gaelet (game ending via flat count), and Best Move (what would you do, and why?).<br />
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Please form your answer with <a href="https://ustak.org/portable-tak-notation/" target="_blank">PTN</a> or a link to your solution via ptn.ninja. Also, be sure to use the spoiler tag so as not to ruin it for later puzzle solvers.<br />
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The new Reddit spoiler tag is shown below:</div>
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>!spoiler!<</div>
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Ex: >!35. a3> 3b2+!<<br />
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** I have noticed some people commenting directly to my blog post when answering puzzles. I would kindly ask that you post your answers on the appropriate post on the Reddit page for Tak (<a href="https://reddit.com/r/Tak/" target="_blank">r/tak</a>). This will make it easier for me to respond in a timely manner. On that note, I would like to also apologize to those same people for my delayed replies.</div>
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Thank you and enjoy!!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0