pinback wrote:


But like backgammon, it's primarily about risk management. A terrible player WILL beat a great player one out of (whatever) times, but over the long haul, the player who manages risk better will come out on top. That's why no tournaments are single or even double elimination. It takes ten matches to even get a sense of who might actually be a better player.

The playfield (at least in 1v1) is tiny, and brutal. As someone once compared Go to Karate and then compared Pente to Sumo, the latter comparison applies here as well. Matches are short and brutal. And even in its nascent state, already so much fun that you can't help but try it again.