Page 3 of 14
Hexemergo | Hexemergo naturally followed Emergo: it is a literal translation of the rules to the hexgrid. The implications of prolonging feeding combinations in which an opponent's piece hops over one's own piece and onto the edge, by moving parallel to the edge, a move not possible in the square plane, proved stunning. |
Much as we enjoyed its over the top tactics, they eventually turned out to be the root of the game's basic flaw, first spotted by Ed van Zon in correspondence play. When playing white, Ed employed the usual Emergo strategy of trying to keep the game as flat as possible during the entering phase, always taking care not to lose the right to move first after the entering phase. Then, at the start of the movement phase, he carefully sifted through the many possible feeding combinations to find a straight knock-out.
Hexemergo's flaw is that it is so rich in combinations that his quest almost invariably succeeded, i.e. in correspondence play white has a winning strategy. That's too bad because one can't 'change' or 'repair' or 'improve' an essential game. Fortunately its a side kick - the square game has no such flaw.