What is this board for?

rednaz23: :-) For discussion about Lines of Action.

Oh! I didn't see that we had a new game. Very interesting! Here is the rules for anyone who is curious about Lines of Action!

Thanks Fencer!

Has anyone found any strategies which seem to work for this game. I'm finding it a little hard to get to grips with.

furbster: I'm far from an expert, but my early thoughts are at least at the first of the game, don't "take" too many of your opponents pieces since that leaves less for them to connect. But as the game progressing, sometimes taking a "key" pieces which is linking 2 "groups" could be a good way to stall your oponent from connecting everything.

furbster:

I have now played a few games, and I think on concept that is working for me is...

1. Plan both building and blocking moves. Prevent peices from getting to the middle, and keeping your there.

2. Don't get stuck. Watch available moves for all pieces make sure you don't get stuck with only 1 piece in the row so you can't move the distance need to join first.

3. As BBW said, avoid taking your oppenents pieces early on. Use it to take key peices that are linking two groups. Another concern to avoid getting blocked you may want to take a piece.

As pieces can move diagonally, a chequered board would probably be a good help in seeing the possible moves. I am less sure about the aesthetic effect though.
Although the board used in the commercial game is not chequered, I saw that the available programs and viewers generally used chequered boards. What do you think about it ?

Rectification : the board of the Abacus edition is chequered too. But I have seen a picture of some unchequered deluxe edition.

nabla: I find it better as it is.

WizardII: I think you should capture pieces also when they get in the center field (C3-F6 square)

I find the moves unpredictable/do the rules about how many stones you have in a row just belong to the vertcal line, or the horizontal and diagonal too? Can anyone make it clearer for me please?

ruby2shoes: How many total stones in one line is how many spaces you can move your piece.

So lets say there are 5 total stones in a line (3 of yours, 2 of your opponents), you can move one of your 3 stones taht are in that row 5 spaces in that same row. You can jump over your own pieces. You can land on your opponent piece. But you can not just over your opponents piece.

If you want to move a piece on a diagnal, it is the same thing. Total number of pieces on that line is how many spaces you can move one of your own pieces in the diagonal line.

Does that help?

BIG BAD WOLF: Thank you you scary Wolf/lol/so in this line of 5 pieces, going in any direction,if the 5th space from yours is the opponents piece,you can take it? Likewise, if the 5th stone is your own, you cannot move in that direction? You can see just how confused I am!

ruby2shoes: Now that 5 pieces is only for the line that has 5 pieces. If you move a piece in a different direction, you have to count how many pieces are in the line that you are moving in.

So for the example of 5 pieces - as long as you do not jump OVER any of your opponenets pieces, and the 5th place away from the piece you are moving is your opponenets piece(or blank), you can land on it and capture it. You can jump over your own pieces. (With the note that you don't want to capture too many since that might make it easier to connect all his pieces with less to work with - but then again, sometimes it is good to take a piece to help "block" your opponenet, or help yourself)

And if that 5th piece is your own pieces, then no - you can not move there and capture your own piece.

. . . . . It's one of those games which can be hard to figure out at first, but sooner or later it will *poof* jump out and make sence on how it works - sometimes it takes a few games for some to catch on.

BIG BAD WOLF: Thank you - I am clinging to the hope that something will jump out at me soon - no,honestly - you have helped a great deal and I am beginning to see the light

I just found out that I had three good articles by Kerry Handscomb in old issues of "Abstract Games Magazine". Here are the basic strategy tips given :

- Material is definitely good. Having more men gives more moves, hence better flexibility for both attack and defence. Material gain is disregarded though when it would move a man away from the action, or when it captures a very remote piece of the opponent, sometimes allowing him a direct connecting combination. For instance, the captures which are possible at the start of the game, like c8xa6, are regarded as neutral (they rather hurt your position, which compensates for winning a man).
- The best winning strategy is to aim for a compact group, that is a group where any piece removal still leaves the group connected, and then patiently connect the isolated men into this group, trying to use them for distant threats.
- The exact center is not the best place to build such a compact group because it can be too easily attacked. Of course the side is not best either, as will be seen later.
- However, moving a piece to the center (up to d3-e3) when it can't be taken is generally a good move (but is impossible in the start position).
- Building a loosely connected group is dangerous because the opponent will attack its weak link(s). In the worst case, the opponent will manage to capture a weak link in the middle of the group and cut it in two equal pieces, leaving you needing an astronomic number of moves to bring them together again.
- The two most obvious opening strategies are bad : trying to connect the two groups of the start position is very bad, because such a connection will be loose and you will be likely to be cut in two. Running with one of the start groups to the other (damn, I have tried to use that!) is remotely better, but will lose to the strategy explained in the next point.
- The best you can achieve from the opening is to build a wall on a second rank, leaving the unmoved pieces from the opponent behind. This wall can be used as the target area for building a compact group, and the opponent will lose a lot of time extricating his pieces. If he tries to leave his pieces in place and connect the other to them, it will be easy for you to capture one of the middle pieces, leaving this group cut in two parts in a desperate position. (My addition) Indeed, it is so easy to achieve that you can wait until he is close to connect, it will hurt even more.

Any additions are welcome !

nabla: Thank you Nabla for sharing this with us

What is the least amount of moves made in a win so far? I have one with 10 moves....

BIG BAD WOLF: Thank you, wolf. I had the same problem like ruby2shoes.

Czuch Chuckers: I just found this unlikely gift with 8 moves!

http://brainking.com/en/ArchivedGame?g=1610342

Hello,

Is this someone knows if it is possible to find a repertory of
openings for this game?

Do you like to play line games or want to learn? If you do, you should join the Official Lines Fellowship! We have line teams for almost every game as well as tourneys coming more and more! Sign up if you would like to join for teams, tourneys, lots of games, and the chance to better your game!

results Worldchampionship Loa 2006, London, Westminster University

18 players
1. Fred Kok Netherlands 5 / 5 GOLD
2. Jan Stastna Czech Republic 4 / 5 SILVER
3. James Heppell Great Britain 4 / 5 BRONZE

notations of some games will follow

5th Round 20 min p.p.

Jan Stastna (Czech Republic) - Fred Kok (Netherlands)
1.h5-f7 d8-b6
2.a4-c2 b8-b5
3.a2-d2 b1-b4
4.h2-e2 c8xa6
5.a7-d7 a6xe2
6.a3-c3 g8-g6
7.h6-d3 f8-d6
8.h7-d7 b4xe7
9.d7-f5 (or f7-e6 blocking the e file!) e8xe3
10.a5xd1 g1-d4
11.f5-d5 f1-f3
12.h3-h1 (?) c1-b2
13.h4-f4 g6-e4
14.xe4 fxc3
15.f4xd6 b6xd6
16.resigns 0-1

tangram: Is it Jan Stastny (man) or Jana Stastna (woman)? Jan Stastna (male firstname and female surname) sounds strange.

jan stastna. But maybe wrong translated at the MSO. I know it was a Jan!

Jan Šťastna on the Czech MSO site.

tangram: Should this be 7.h6-e3, 8.h7-e7, and 10.a5xe1?

tangram: Is there a site containing more information about this event?

tangram: Is your notation different to BrainKing's? If a black player starts, it's not possible to do 1. h5-f7 with our starting position.

Fencer: see also www.msoworld.com

There is a variant of LOA (developed for an imperfect reason but still the result was playable and challenging) called 'Alternate' LOA, whereby black starts with a stone on b1, White on c1, Black on d1, White on e1, etc. all the way around the board. The object is the same, to aggregate all of your color, but the strategies are markedly different. Since no two stones of the same color are on adjacent spaces, it compels the player to take into account all of the stones.

Perhaps with enough support and requests, we can get it added here. It doesn't seems too difficult to program.

Pioneer54: I heard of it as "Scrambled Eggs LOA". Certainly it would be very easy to program !

tangram: Thanks. And my notation question?

nabla: ... as long as we don't actually have to play it with eggs, they could break and that board could get awfully messy!
;))

Fencer: It doesnt matter how you set up the board. I could change my notation 1.h5-f7 into 1.d1-b3

Pioneer54: and we would need black eggs...

i have played different types of loa.
Loa on a hexagonal board. Loa on a 10x10 board. Loa on a gipf board!

Pioneer54: Yes, you actually have to play it with eggs.

Hahahahaha, those eggs look pretty cool. Is the strategy here about the same as in LoA?

Fencer: They look more like footballs than eggs!

Do they 'crack' when captured??

Pioneer54: Sure but the animation is not ready yet.

If anyone would like to join our Slow Time Controls fellowship LOA team you are more than welcome. Send a message to me and I will invite you to the fellowship where you can join the team!
Slow Time Controls

Marfitalu: Why wouldn't you be able to move? I'm trying to picture the situation you are asking about.

Marfitalu: Well I got an answer for you.

Not even Fencer knows!

Why - because I just quickly tested this, and now that black is stuck, it is waiting for a move from him but will not let him select anything!

Game: Lines of Action (001 vs. BIG BAD WOLF)

I've searched a couple of websites about the game, and I could only find 1 mention of this situation, and even then they did not say what the result would be.

I've asked on a yahoo discussion board about the game what should happen.

I would guess either (1) the player just passes the turn or (2) loses the game or (3) game is a draw.

Once we know what is suppose to happen, we can probable have Fencer program it so that it will happen. I will let you know when/if I get an answer.

As I do a little more searching, I found this site:

http://www.cs.unimaas.nl/m.winands/loa/discussion.html

Rule 9 deal with this situation, and here is what is said about it:

Soucie did not cover this situation. LOA players thought that this situation was impossible in a real game for a long time. But computer simulations proved that such a situation could occur in a real game. The alternative proposed and commonly used was that the player has to pass. Unfortunately Soucie has died in 1997. It is hard to find a satisfying rule.

Some points against the lose rule.

* The object of the game is to connect your pieces in one group. Not to eliminate the opponent's moves like in Amazons or draughts. LOA is a connection game, you win by connecting your pieces.
* You don't know if the player would have lost the game. It deserves a chance to defend itself.
* The player is punished enough by passing. In LOA passing is mostly disadvantageous.

Some points against the passing rule.

* If you look at rule 3 a player has to move, passing is out of the question.
* The game is called Lines of Action. The name suggests active play, not passive play by passing.
* The player would probably lose the game anyway in this situation. By the passing rule the game would continue unnecessarily longer.
* It is possible that passing is an advantage. The player is not punished but rewarded.

Current Results

Recently, Jorge Gomez Arrausi posted the following alternative solution to this matter: "If a player cannot move, the game should be drawn. The objective is the connection." The problem with this rule is that introduce drawing, which is not the intention of LOA (see also the discussion about rule 8).

Marfitalu: Well what I found out was used the most was if a person can not move, then they just pass the move.

What happens when you capture all your opponents pieces except the last one? Do they get the win, or is it impossible for them to get the win?

Czuch Czuckers: I think it is a win - since all their pieces (one) are connected