User:Risteall

TODO

 * Basic plans
 * Camel hostage:
 * merge rotation examples
 * better examples of high hostage etc.
 * more detailed example
 * Other hostages:
 * small piece hostage
 * two-step hostage
 * H/M hostage defended by M
 * Frames: find examples of rabbit frame, tactical frame
 * Pull rabbits on your strong wing (maybe)
 * Advance horse on opponent's non-camel wing
 * Do not pull horse with elephant
 * Facing EH attacks
 * Elephant blockade as standard answer to:
 * H-by-M hostage
 * horse basket
 * material balance
 * openings
 * goal attacks
 * dynamic aspects of strategy

How to play arimaa
Advance pieces, get trap control, make threats. Advancing pieces against the opponent's trap is good unless: The more reasonable attacking becomes, the less time there is for slow things like rabbit-pulling. Attacking gets more reasonable as pieces come off the board and as the position gets more complex.
 * Hostage. There is therefore difficulty leading an attack with the camel, although it is possible if the opponent has a passive position. Usual opening attack: with a horse against the opponent's non-camel wing. Or against the camel wing if there is a space advantage.
 * Inefficiency. This is another problem with camel attacks, but it depends on the opponent's counterplay. After losing a major piece, a horse attack may be inefficient. Obviously depends on the state of the defence: use the weakest piece possible.
 * Inflexibility. Useful to be able to back off. Rabbit advances need care.

If the opponent has a fast plan available, a fast plan is needed to counter it. If the opponent has no fast plan available, there is time for slow maneuvering. So speed is a feature of the position and depends on the plans of both sides.

The plan

 * If the opponent advances a piece, consider whether you can force its capture or get a good hostage. This is more likely if the piece is in the centre (since a central hostage is often dead). Typically not the case for horse advances on the wing if your camel is not close, or for pieces advancing behind other pieces.
 * Conversely, advanced pieces are useful (can pull weaker pieces or get trap control). So advance pieces, as long as you don't give a good hostage or leave home traps too weak.

Why get trap control? Um.
Plenty of overlap here.
 * Direct advantage in tactical fights
 * Freedom to maneuver for e.g. alignment advantage since the opponent is restricted to defence
 * Space i.e. freedom to advance for long-term advantage and more options
 * Advanced rabbits confer a tactical advantage via the latent goal threat restricting the opponent's options
 * Direct goal threats obviously

What is trap control?

 * Low-level: number of pieces adjacent to a trap, determining who can make captures there.
 * More loosely: the ability to occupy a key square with a strong enough piece when necessary.

How to pull rabbits

 * If stronger on this wing, rabbit-pulling is locally safe but requires care since it is inefficient and restricts own freedom, giving the opponent time to realign.
 * If weaker on this wing, requires care because bad in the long term. Nice and efficient though. To be used for the short-term threat in conjunction with threats on the other wing.
 * Or, of course, to impede the opponent's attack.
 * If same strength on this wing: yay! And the game is likely to slower, so there is time for it.
 * On camel wing: beware! camel hostage.
 * On non-camel wing: beware! giving trap control. Advanced rabbit will help in case of facing EH attacks.

Camel hostage
Advantages of a3 hostage: Advantages of b2 hostage:
 * Silver piece on c2 can be taken as double hostage (if b2 is non-rabbit).
 * Camel is further from trap control (tactical advantage if elephant has to leave).
 * Silver cannot occupy a3 with rabbit (could be tactical problem).
 * Harder for the camel to escape temporarily.
 * Requires fewer pieces to maintain.
 * Can fight for a-file space.
 * Camel can be pushed to b1 (hanzack maneuver).

Horse hostage:
a3 is further from trap control but b2 hostage can more easily be buried. So possibly a3 is better in sharp positions where there is no time for burying.

Examples
Camel fork: Silver plays E/b4 b6.

Fence/blockade: Silver plays /Hf5 Hg5.

Here (game) Silver has rotated out her elephant, instead defending f3 with weaker pieces. It is now Silver, not Gold, who has the strongest free piece. In fact Silver now has a large advantage: the silver elephant can restrain the gold camel, while if Gold gives up the hostage Silver will have lasting control of the f3 trap. Note the passivity of the f2 horse in this position; if this horse were instead advanced in the east, it could help fight for trap control. It is in order to keep this horse quiet that Silver has constructed a three-piece blockade on f3. In general it is important for the player holding a camel hostage to use their horses as actively as possible.