Dark to move. There are 23 dark and 33 light discs on the board and 8 empty squares.
You have 7 legal moves and only one of them keeps the ending won: with perfect play on both sides it finishes 36–28. Each of the 6 alternatives was searched to the last disc and draws or loses.
What the position is about
- a pass in the line — Somewhere in the main line one side has no move and must pass.
- edge square — The key move is on the edge of the board, where discs are harder to flip.
- only winning move — Every legal move was solved to the end: this one wins, all the others draw or lose.
Finding the way in
With eight empties left, count where the last move in each region will fall; the winning move often gives up discs now to keep the final say.
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 h3. Played out against the stiffest resistance, the whole line goes: h3 b8 a4 h7 h1 -- d1 c1 d2.
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.