tarcellius:
In a general sense, you could try to reference the AI of a chess program. The best, easiest one I've seen is Tom's Simple Chess Program that you can find at this website:
http://www.tckerrigan.com/Chess/TSCP

It follows the general need for board game AI:
1.) find legal moves (harder in pente than chess since more legal moves available for the most part) and potentially prune out terrible ones
2.) find a way to assign a score to a position
Hope that helps!

Hi pente players,

I teach a high school programming class part-time, and for an upcoming class project I am considering a pente game. The students already have a GUI framework provided for them that handles images in a grid fairly well (see http://www.horstmann.com/gridworld). In writing their game, I would like to have the students implement a simple AI to play against.

I could brush up on general turn-based strategy algorithms, and then apply them to pente to write the project demo. But frankly, I can only spend so much time on my part-time job, so I don't have the time to try several different approaches before settling on a decent one that isn't too much coding for my students to handle.

So, can anyone point me to any resources for this effort? I'm looking for outlines for existing AI algorithms that are known to work reasonably well without massive coding. Or even the source code to an AI which I can pare down for my students (Like Mark Mammel's AI). Or any other pointers.

Thanks!
tarcellius

I haven't noticed this tournament until now so heres link for others, some great games are played!
Super Pente

St Patty's 2009!

ONLY 8 DAYS LEFT TO SIGN UP!

Keeping with tradition I've got another St Patricks Day Tournament out there but I'm changing things up a bit this time.

Only 64 people will be allowed into this years tournament since it's Single Elimination with a '2 wins to advance' match format. The Single Elimination is an experiment to make things more head to head and skill centric, hopefully taking away the random advantage a player can sometimes get over another in a section. (for example: where a player times out in just one game and gives an advantage to one of two other equal players.)

I'm keeping the same time limits as last years (2 days per move with vacation allowed) since that seemed to work rather well. Cash prizes are kind of a pain for Fencer to deal with so I've decided to set the prize as one year Brain Rook (approximately 50$ US value).

So you have to ask yourself, do you feel you have the pente luck of the Irish? well sign up and see how far you can make it through the grid! On St. Patricks Day (March 17, 2009) the tourney begins! Good luck to all players, I look forward to playing you across the board!


PAST TOURNAMENT RESULTS!

St Patty's 2008 WINNERS: Richard III, Nosovs
St Patty's 2007 WINNER: Brf!

chaated: used to....haven't seen much lately though. this board is kind of buried deep in here.
-Brf

Ever?

Brf: I would if I could! I'm trying to earn a free bishop membership via Fencer's Bux.to scam... I mean offer. We'll see if I get there in time.

I had started a 32 person single elimination tourney for open pente, small pente, Pente, and Keryo pente which I opened up to all of BK. The tournament was a two wins match format with a total time of 16 days allowed for the whole game and was supposed to start November 15, 2008! SPP, All Te Games, 16 Day game, Single elimination, Rated

Since none of the tournaments had a signup of 32 players I've asked Fencer to lower the required number of players to 16! The tournament will be deleted in 24 days if 16 players do not sign up. We're really close on the "pente" tourney and about halfway there on the the other variants. Please consider signing up if you haven't done so already. Thanks! -Brf

Brf: right on brf! calling all ex-plente members to join this tourny and its variants! Looks like too much fun to pass on!

I have started a 32 person single elimination tourney for open pente, small pente, Pente, and Keryo pente. This is open to the whole world (otherwise I don't think we'd get all 32 folks. it's a two wins match format with a total time of 16 days allowed for the whole game The tourney starts November 15, 2008! here's the link Pente+, 32plr, Single elim, 2 win match,16day game

Please sign up -> 1500 ;), 10000 :D, 1600 ;) (single elimination for 8, Fisher's clock 3/0.8/15 with autopass & immediately start)
More informations about Fischer's clock on BrainKing & BrainRook

Small Keryo Pente - I need 2 players more
Open Keryo Pente - 1
&
Small Keryo Pente - 1
&
Small Keryo Pente - 1
& other games

Brf's St Patty's Day Tourney 2007 has finished! Just in Time for - Brf's St. Patty's Day Tourney 2008
I will be offering 50$ US to the winner, if you like pente please consider joining it's open to everyone! There are only 7 hours left to signup! 87 people have already joined out of the top 100 players and it looks to be a really fun tourney! Last years tourney was a bit long I felt with 3 day moves (11Months) For this years tournament, I've lowered time limit to 2 Day moves!

Good Luck to all Players entered in this years tournament, I look forward to playing you across the board. -Brf

Brf's St Patty's Day Tourney 2007 has finished! Just in Time for - Brf's St. Patty's Day Tourney 2008
I will be offering 50$ US to the winner, if you like pente please consider joining it's open to everyone! The Last day to signup is March 17th 2008. The 2007 Tourney was alot of fun but a bit long at 3 day moves (11Months) I've lowered it to 2 day moves this time! Good Luck to all entrants! Also, if you are really serious about pente consider joining the Serious Pente Players Fellowship

Good Luck to all Players, I look forward to playing you across the board. -Brf

shagglbrox: well - ive just been voting for myself from different computers.... so at least we are doing the same thing right?

Pls sign up -> 700 ;) single elimination for 8, F/C 3/0.8/15
Anty Line4 - 2
Linetris - 1
Small Pente - 1
Small Keryo Pente - 2
Open Keryo Pente - 1
Five in Line Pro - 3
Five in Line Swap - 2
Lines of Action - 1
Battleboats - 2

redfrog: That would be pretty sweet! I'm a bit disappointed though - same number of people want to see you as want to see me! And here I thought they'd have taste...

tarcellius: Fantastic Idea!!!

Are you interested in a live, across-the-board, pente tournament? A handful of players well-
connected in the online pente community are putting together a live pente tournament sometime in
2008. The orgnanizers are asking people to answer a few questions in an online poll to better
understand where and when the tournament would be the biggest success. Help us out! Visit the
following site to submit your feedback:

http://pente.homestead.com/biography.html

Sign the guestbook while you are there so we have some idea who has voted in the survey. Feel
free to browse the site while you are there (not much to it, the poll is what's important right
now) and check back later for results. Further announcements will be made here and on other sites
when details are available.

Some legwork for this tournament has already been done, and we're confident that there is
sufficient interest to have a really exciting tournament with top-level play and a gathering of
players from all over the internet. Stay tuned!

5000 :D SE for 8
AntyLine4 - I need 4 players
Linetris - 4 players
Keryo Pente - only 1
Small Keryo Pente - 2

5000 :D SE for 8

500 ;) & http://brainking.com/pl/Tournaments?trg=25975&trnst=10&u=10078 SE for 8

redfrog: LOL !!! Did they get to eat the ones they captured?

Im watching Big Brother After dark on Showtime - They are Playing PENTE - with M&M's!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!! GO PENTE!!!!!!

Nickel: haha Yeah, Fstop is hard to stop. Now we need to worry about aaru.

Fencer, every section's winner in this tournament is determined:
Brf's St. Patrick's Day Pente Tournament
Can you please start the next round. It is very frustrating to pawns (and everyone else too) to be stuck in a tournament that could be progressing, but is not.

Ladies and Gents - It seems the next evolution of f/s team play is upon us. I have created a new f/s Plente's Evil Twin Brother - the purpose being to increase team challenge opportunity. Any Plente member interested in frequent play may participate. Once enough members have joined (at least 8) then we will split the teams fairly - a minimum of 4 on the Twin Team - and 4 on Plente's team - maybe much more and much bigger!!

Im posting this here - not as an effort to take members away from existing teams - when it comes to team tournaments from fencer - i would fully expect that players will leave and go back to their home to play.... the bonus is - you can leave a team - and finish those matches - and rejoin your own and still play....

you could even join up - get started - and leave to go back and participate in your own f/s team challenges - its impossible to be on two teams at the same time - so we never have to worry about playing ourselves!!! lol

Anyone interested send me an request to join....

Plente's Evil Twin Brother
Plente o' Pente

Brf: the 30 day countdown to my tournament Brf's St. Patrick's Day Pente Tournament
has begun. We have 56 players signed up so far and I'd love to see more. If you haven't done so and have been thinking about it please sign up. We currently have over 56 people signed up as of now and I'd love to see this grow to a hundred or more. Don't be shy, I'd love to see you across the board. -Brf

Brf's St. Patrick's Day Pente Tournament

I will be offering 50$ US to the winner, if you like pente please consider joining it's open to everyone! Last day to signup is March 16th 2007! Good luck to all Entrants! (and if you are really serious about pente) go ahead and join the serious pente players fellowship Serious Pente Players

-Brf

Brf is now the big boss of my fellowship. I will be back one day, but it's going to be a long while.

Regards,
-Snut

Pls sign up Pente-pro by aaru

karlw: karlw: sounds interesting. I'm not really happy with the pay-for-ratings system here. thanks.

Hello, everybody, my name is Karl and I'm hosting a pente tournament at pente.org. The only requirements for signing up are you have to have an established rating, which is achieved by playing 20 rated games. Those of you interested in finding out more, go to http://pente.org/gameServer/tournaments/. Hope to see you there!

karlw

I'm a new member still poking around when I have extra time. Just found this discussion board, and through it the whole "team pente" thing. Sounds like fun! In fact, the idea of joining one of these fellowships is my motivation to upgrade my membership now rather than waiting.

After I do that, if anyone can use me on a team I'm happy to join. I trust I will figure out the confusion of these "fellowships" in due time. I swear I'm a decent pente player even though I have no ranking here.

There are only three days left to sign up for the team Pente tournament. I would like to see a few more teams join in. If you're an individual looking for a team, or a captain looking for one or two more players, post here. Good luck to all.

HI.  We are currently looking for players for our Pente Team.  Please join GuineaPig´s Club and then our Pente team if you're interested. 

Thank you in advance.

Richard III:
Sorry for the slow response :0
but D-pente was suggested by Don Banks of Canada. Gary suggested G-pente (see where D and G come from :) G-pente simply increases the restriction on P1's second move -- that move may NOT be to N10, K7, G10, or K12. I like D-pente much better because it has much greater opening possibilities.
-Mark

Hey all - if you are interested in some quality pente playin.... check out Plente o' Pente

We have recently refocused on learning and just having fun - there will be tournys posted for a variety of skill levels - plus learning tournys that are unrated.... all are welcome....

pentejr: I am captain of the team, once again. Since my membership expired, I was automatically booted. The smack talking is cracking me way up. It's getting close to time for SPP team to whoop some ass.

jayhawklov: Sounds like an even match to me. 8 of yours vs. 5 of ours.

In all seriousness, though, hawk: say what you need to say to get the Snut-man back where he belongs--on our team!

Thad: Well said buddy!

redfrog: Bring it, then let us worry about that.

Thad: looks like you dont have enough players to bring it!!!

Hey Snut are you playing on your own team or what Im about to challenge the Un Serious pente team to a match but 5 players against our 6 , 7 or 8 is not much of a match *Get it together old bud

Richard III: I haven't seen Gary on this site (or any sites) for a long long time dude. I'd be surprised if he even read your post...

Has anyone seen him around? Anywhere?

Plente o' Pente's Keryo team is ready for any and all challengers.