i like what you suggested with the second board. it can be a pain to track pieces.. basically though i do not worry about teh juggling of pieces it is mainly used as a distraction from teh real plan.. so when a piece moves that i dont know..e.g. when you get into the gmae more you can use psychology to analyize a situation such as ... if i jsut attacked you with a 5 and you had no idea that it was a 5 until it was just then revealed to you. i would watch your next move to see what piece you jstu moved more than likely it was a sapper. so ill track this piece BUT then comes the tricky part you could pull the swap! where you adjust that piece with anohter "?" piece. now i have to track 2 pieces this cna go on and on.. so you just have to save your spys and dont be so aggressive with them. without eyes you cannot fight! it can get quite intense at times... hang in there. remember though you ahve to knwo when to be the aggresor and when to be defensive only a good mixture of both will help you win!