MindSports
Havannah Tutor
 |
About
Rules
Basic Tactics
Strategy
Read Me

Games
 |
Van Zon-Freeling
 |
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4


Havannah Games

Ed van Zon - Christian Freeling december 1996

  Sorry, you need a Java enabled browser to view the Havannah Player!

1. j5p15
2. p10o16
3. i3n9
4. d4g5
5. f3e3
6. f4e4
7. f5e5
8. e9f6
9. g6g8
10. i6g3
11. f11o11
12. o13j10Black maintains a defensive approach, which requires dominance in the center. White certainly has the initiative in terms of speed.
13. g7f7
14. h8h10Black drops, aiming at a connection to the rightmost side, at the same time minimalizing the use white can make of his ring threat. On h9, white's i9 would force the cut to i10, because white threatens to frame the ring.
15. i10i11
16. j11g12A magnet to the rightmost side.
17. h11g10Black has the initiative...
18. g11i12
19. h12i13
20. h13i14
21. h16?g14!This one point jump is very troublesome for white: black can reach the top right side before  white can reach the corner.
22. h14i15
23. h15
j17
White resigns.
The reason for white's resignation may not be clear to every viewer, though for an experienced player it will hardly come as a surprise.
The first thing to note about the position is that black has a frame , an as yet incomplete connection that cannot be broken by the opponent. Typically, attacking a frame with nothing but tactical threats only enforces it. The only way to counter a frame is having a faster frame.
Now black's frame takes two moves to connect to the bottom left side, three to the top right, four to the bottom right and one to connect 9 and 14. With at least one tempo won by a ring threat around white 4, and another (if timed right) by connecting at h9 and moving down from black 17, with f9, e7 and d5 requiring direct answers. So black needs eight moves. White 4 and his group on the right are dead. His ring threats around black 4 and 10 are good for making a few tempo moves, but apart from the bottom left side, this group is far from everything.
In strategic respect, white 5 may not have been the best plan.