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Variant lines in Emergo1436553843.html
a demonstration game of Emergo
between christian freeling and ed van zon.
12…f6 instead of 12…e5
This is a variant line after entering the shadowpiece at 12…f6 instead of the actual move 12…e5. It shows how White builds a piece of seven … at a price. The price might ultimately turn out to be too high, in which case the search would be for a better alternative. I didn't find another one resulting in a piece of seven, but the height of the piece is not the only criterion for a combination. Moreover, I may have missed one. Despite rumours to the contrary I'm fallible!
In the final position both have approximately equal material, but White has all 3 prisoners under one guard, and this piece is under immediate threat of the black 7 on e7. Its retreat is as yet hindered by its own pieces and after 26.gf5 Black can move 26…ef7. If White attacks on the f-line with 27.f56 then Black captures twice against White once and g6 is none the safer for it. In that case 27.g65 would seem to be the best option for White.
White cannot go for the piece on f2 without abandoning g6 and leaving it for the taking. That's a bad deal. So without jumping to any definite conclusions, it is safe to say that White is the one in trouble here.
18…d56 instead of 18…e89
In the final position White has three prisoners, relatively well guarded, that is: they can only be set free at a price. Black has one prisoner. White has six pieces, Black has four and three of them are weak. Black has one very strong piece, but an immediate attack along the e-line leaves him with a 4-on-2 in the corner, while White's 1-on-3 escapes to d2, for the time being. All in all an interesting position, but I feel the black giant is walking on feet of clay and if White plays carefully he can exploit Black's low number of of pieces to induce Zugzwang. Zugzwang plays a big role in Emergo endgames and is always costly for the player faced with it.
In summary: I feel that the position is a white win and that 18…d56 is a nice bait, and so did Ed or he wouldn't have offered it.
18…ef8 instead of 18…e89
In the final position White would seem to have the edge, with at least one deeply buried prisoner and h4 for the taking, if not indeed to actively work with. It's a nice combination but Black would rather seek a way around it. And that seems to be the case with the actual move in the game: 18…e89, avoiding the seesaw.
26.de8 instead of 26.ed5
The final position is a clear black win. It means that White on move 26 must get the 2-on-1 at E5 out of the way.
32.e76 instead of 32.ed7
34.dc6 instead of 34.d65
In the final position Black has 3 prisoners deeply buried and the piece on f8 for a primary target. White's prospects look bleak.
37...f56 instead of 37...bc4
The final position is a technical win for Black, though not quite beyond possible mistakes. That's why Black chose a simpler option, though that one isn't quite beyond possible mistakes either.
40.c34 instead of 40.de7
In the final position Black's 5-on-5 seals the deal and the threat 42…cd6, capturing the white 1-on-3 (majority capture), is added for good measure.
40.c65 instead of 40.de7
In the final position Black simply retreats with his 2-on-5 and the big six cleans up the rubble.
53.cd5 instead of 53.?
The final position should be clear.
53.d65 instead of 53.?
This final position should be clear too.