Round 5 of 2016 US Tak Open

Now that we're past the halfway mark, our final line-up is really starting to take shape. Quite a few of the high rankers are notable participants from previous informal tournaments, such as Turing, Fwwwwibib, maron, Simmon, applemonkeyman, and kakaburra, amongst others. Watching and following these games can really help demonstrate the level of play possible.

In particular, this week, I decided to delve into the first game of the match between Fwwwwibib and NohatCoder. Both of these players are quite strong, so parsing through their moves can be quite educational. Like last time, I notated a brief, high-level full game comments, using ptn ninja (https://goo.gl/NZaH8h):

Round 3 of 2016 US Tak Open

With the 2016 US Tak Open tournament's 3rd round behind us, participants are entering the halfway mark of the swiss stage. Now, more than ever, match wins are important. Even a single win could push some players into the coveted top 32.

In reviewing some of the games, I've noticed that some of the reporting hasn't been the most consistent. Please remember to include links to the PTNs when submitting! In addition, when scores are tied please remember to reference the tie-breaker rules (Appendix A) to determine the match winner. At the end of the tournament, I have plans to do a meta-analysis of the games played, and having accurate and complete information will really help in this (in addition to making sure that all players are at an even ground).

With that aside, I want to delve into the game I'll be looking into today: the first game in the matchup between nelhage and abyss:

Round 2 of 2016 US Tak Open

With the second round of the Swiss stage complete, the participants are really beginning to distinguish themselves. While still pretty flexible, the top 32 is starting to shape out. Quite a number of the names at the top here are Playtak and tournament veterans, including Simmon, Kakaburra, Turing, SkippyThePenguin, Ally, and others. In addition, there are quite a few names that I'm not as familiar with. It will be exciting to see how these individuals continue to perform over the next round.

Round 1 of 2016 US Tak Open

This past week featured the first round of the 2016 US Tak Open. As this is only the first week, players are only just beginning to distinguish themselves.  The top 37 players are currently undefeated. This puts the pressure on them even more to keep their scores up to ensure a place in the top 32 by the end of the Swiss-style stage. The middle 74 won one game, but not the other putting, meaning their match win or loss was determined by the individual game scores and tie-breaker rules. Both these individuals and the bottom 37 will have to up their game if they want a chance at the coveted top 32.

2016 US Tak Open

With the 2016 US Tak Open Tournament imminent, there is a lot to be excited about. Perhaps most notably, this is the first official major online Tak tournament, fully supported by the US Tak Association. As a result, there are actual prizes in store for first and second place. More so, there is actual prestige and status on the line. In addition, there are 149 registered participants, making it the largest Tak tournament to date. Of these participants, 81% are from the US, while the rest are from 11 other countries, making this an international event!

Analysis: Tak Open Finals R1: applemonkeyman vs SultanPepper (1/2)

Note: The analysis and positions described are for the 6x6 game. Extend the principles and ideas to the 5x5 and the 8x8 at your own risk...

The next match in the Tak Open finals that I'll be looking at is the first game between applemonkeyman (white) and SultanPepper (black):

Analysis: Tak Open Finals R1: Gerrek v Simmon (2/2)

Note: The analysis and positions described are for the 6x6 game. Extend the principles and ideas to the 5x5 and the 8x8 at your own risk...

The next game in this series is the second in the match between Simmon and Gerrek, this time with Gerrek as white and Simmon as black: