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Chess and Stratego
- Thread starter KarishBHR
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ArcadeStickMonk
Member
Edit: That was innappropriate, sorry.
Foreign Jackass
Member
Stratego is a sperm count inhibitor, you shouldn't try to get better at it. 
I'm just joking. Stratego is geeky, but I remember it to be fun, from the couple of games I lost.
I'm just joking. Stratego is geeky, but I remember it to be fun, from the couple of games I lost.
MrPing1000
Member
I have never played stratego and I don't even know what it looks like.
But it does make me think of star wars nerds. TO POOP ON
But it does make me think of star wars nerds. TO POOP ON
Stratego is a useless game. There is a single unbeatable strategy to play...once you know what it is, the game ceases to be any fun whatsoever.
Chess study, beyond some basic principles and some practice, is ALL about memorizing openings and endgames. The genius, of course, is the richness of middle game play...but it's a genius I don't have.
Chess study, beyond some basic principles and some practice, is ALL about memorizing openings and endgames. The genius, of course, is the richness of middle game play...but it's a genius I don't have.
I had sent demon a PM, but I can reprint it here.
After doing some research, I found out that the rules that my family has always played under are actually a variation of the official rules. In our game, when there is a tie, the piece which MOVED wins. (In other word, the tie goes to the aggressor.) In the official rules, however, both pieces are lost. Hmmm and double hmmm. I also seem to remember that in our version, a Spy could kill a 1, 2, or 3, but lost to a 4 and below...but I think the official rules claim that he can only take out a 1. Grrrr.
Well, here was my unbeatable strategy for our variation, but you can see how this might help you under the official rules:
1) Place your flag in the middle of the board mostly surrounded by bombs. There should be two "doorways" on either side.
2) Immediately adjacent to one doorway, place your 1 and a 4. Immediately adjacent to the other doorway, place your Spy and a 4.
3) Put a couple of key pieces inside the fortress as well, including your 2 and a couple of 8s.
The basic idea is to play a waiting game. Challenge anything coming across with a weak piece you don't mind losing so you know what's coming. The goal is to a) keep your bombs intact around your flag and b) bait the enemy into sending a high-value piece through one of the doorways. (You can even make it obvious about where the entrances are by moving pieces out from your fortress from time to time.)
The trick with this layout is that any enemy piece must step through a doorway on one turn...but on the next, you have a free shot to take the initiative. In our rules, this means that you always will win the battle! (Your 1 can take out anything except for a Spy...but if you know it's a Spy, the 4 is ready. On the other door, the Spy can take out anything above a 4, and the 4 would beat anything else by moving first.) Once you've bled off enough high-value pieces, you can take your time walking through his forces -- you'll have the highest-ranking people on the board, so as long as you don't hit a bomb, you're in business.
With the official rules, this becomes a little more tricky. You might be able to apply something similar...but I'd have to think about it.
Anyway, sorry to get your hopes up. I'm going to lecture my family at Christmas over teaching me something OTHER than the official rules.
After doing some research, I found out that the rules that my family has always played under are actually a variation of the official rules. In our game, when there is a tie, the piece which MOVED wins. (In other word, the tie goes to the aggressor.) In the official rules, however, both pieces are lost. Hmmm and double hmmm. I also seem to remember that in our version, a Spy could kill a 1, 2, or 3, but lost to a 4 and below...but I think the official rules claim that he can only take out a 1. Grrrr.
Well, here was my unbeatable strategy for our variation, but you can see how this might help you under the official rules:
1) Place your flag in the middle of the board mostly surrounded by bombs. There should be two "doorways" on either side.
2) Immediately adjacent to one doorway, place your 1 and a 4. Immediately adjacent to the other doorway, place your Spy and a 4.
3) Put a couple of key pieces inside the fortress as well, including your 2 and a couple of 8s.
The basic idea is to play a waiting game. Challenge anything coming across with a weak piece you don't mind losing so you know what's coming. The goal is to a) keep your bombs intact around your flag and b) bait the enemy into sending a high-value piece through one of the doorways. (You can even make it obvious about where the entrances are by moving pieces out from your fortress from time to time.)
The trick with this layout is that any enemy piece must step through a doorway on one turn...but on the next, you have a free shot to take the initiative. In our rules, this means that you always will win the battle! (Your 1 can take out anything except for a Spy...but if you know it's a Spy, the 4 is ready. On the other door, the Spy can take out anything above a 4, and the 4 would beat anything else by moving first.) Once you've bled off enough high-value pieces, you can take your time walking through his forces -- you'll have the highest-ranking people on the board, so as long as you don't hit a bomb, you're in business.
With the official rules, this becomes a little more tricky. You might be able to apply something similar...but I'd have to think about it.
Anyway, sorry to get your hopes up. I'm going to lecture my family at Christmas over teaching me something OTHER than the official rules.
-jinx- said:Anyway, sorry to get your hopes up. I'm going to lecture my family at Christmas over teaching me something OTHER than the official rules.
Hah! My family played with (more or less) the same rules.. agressor wins, spies up to 3.. wonder if its a regional thing or something. Played again last month for the first time in a while and I had to check the rules... which were much different then I remembered, obviously
I still kicked butt tho! Me > my 12 year old cousins.
I consider my self an expert in chess, and if you want to get better, you have to train your self. This means getting some high level chess books that have analysis and bring out a chess board and replay the game thinking about why they made each move. You see chess is all about patterns. After you play and see so many games, you will notice a pattern that will help you in a real game. You will know the right time to pawn storm, sacrifice, or even know the basic strategy your opponent is doing.
oxrock
Gravity is a myth, the Earth SUCKS!
I recall playing these games continously with a highschool friend of mine. After a few weeks of intense gaming i couldn't close my eyes without seeing a chess board. I dreamed of nothing but chasing a commander with my spy, or flying across the board with my queen. I think it's better just to let it be. IT WILL CONSUME YOU LIFE!
CavemanLawyer
Member
I always remember playing Stratego with the Spy losing any fight that he was attacked and winning everything as the agressor.
At least I think I did....
At least I think I did....
For chess I like to play a dozen games a day on the Yahoo Games servers. Easy, fast and quick altough you'll have to cope with lots of impolite assholes.
Also here's a great site where you can watch and learn from pretty much all the best games that have been played by the great ones from chess history: http://www.chessgames.com/
Also here's a great site where you can watch and learn from pretty much all the best games that have been played by the great ones from chess history: http://www.chessgames.com/
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