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Nine Men Hall

From the problem cellar

Reversi problem #511

MediumDark · only winning move

Setting up the board…

Dark plays now and only one of the possible discs keeps a winning finish.

The task

To move
Dark
Difficulty
Medium
Goal
only winning move

8 squares are still empty. With the right move the final count is 43 to 21; the other 6 moves do not win. Eight empty squares, and one move wins. Count parity: who gets the last move in each region?

What to look for

  • The target is a corner.
  • A pass occurs in the line, so the same side may move twice.
  • Every other move fails, so check each candidate to the end.

How the answer is checked

There is exactly one first move that forces the result; any other first move allows the defence to escape. Moves that keep the forced result are accepted later in the line, and a move that loses it is taken back with a short note.

Show the key move

The key move is h1. The main line runs: h1 · g4 · a1 · b1 · g3 · pass · c1 · pass · a6 · a7.