Light to move on the 5 × 5 board. 42 of 60 lines are drawn, Dark has 0 boxes and Light 11.
14 boxes are still unclaimed. With best play you can take 8 of them, 2 more than the opponent gets, and exactly one line achieves that.
What the position is about
- double-dealing — The key line declines the last boxes of a chain so that the opponent has to open the next one.
- keep control — With best play you stay in control and collect more than half of what is left.
Finding the way in
On 5×5 the chains are long and the loops expensive. Work out the value of opening each component, and open the cheapest one for the opponent to take.
Before you touch a piece, list every forcing move you have and every threat the opponent has; the answer is almost always on that short list.
Show the first move
Start with f1-f2. Played out against the stiffest resistance, the whole line goes: f1-f2 e1-e2 e3-f3 f2-f3 f3-f4 a5-b5 a4-a5 a5-a6 b5-c5 c4-c5 c5-c6 c5-d5 d4-d5 e4-e5 f4-f5 d6-e6 e5-e6 f5-f6.
Solve it and the next puzzle of the same game is one tap away. Your solved puzzles are ticked in the list, in this browser only.