Light to move. There are 32 dark and 21 light discs on the board and 11 empty squares.
You have 8 legal moves and only one of them keeps the ending won: with perfect play on both sides it finishes 33–31. Each of the 7 alternatives was searched to the last disc and draws or loses.
What the position is about
- 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
Eleven empties are too many to guess. Start with the moves that take away the opponent's options or force a pass, and check whether the corner you are tempted by really holds.
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 a6. Played out against the stiffest resistance, the whole line goes: a6 a4 a5 f5 h3 h2 h1 g2 h5 f1 g1.
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.