The New Zealand Trax Association Newsletter. Issue: 2
An Interesting Game
Here is an interesting game, played between Donald Bailey (white) and Tom Siegenthaler (black). It is interesting from the point of view of the counterplay between threat and counter-threat.(Note - the notation has been changed from the original article to reflect the new notation).
| 1 @0+ | |||||
| 2 @1\ | |||||
| 3 B2\ | A less common though safe opening | ||||
| 4 A2+ | An unconventional move - again safe | ||||
| 5 B0/ |  White sets up an opening trap (the position is shown to the right), where there is only one safe defence. The trap is:C2/ A0\ any D1/ any win C2\ A4/ any D4\ any win C1/ D1+ any D5\ any A5/ any win | ||||
| 6 C3\ | Black choses the only safe defence. | ||||
| 7 D3+ | White continues with the attack, forming an edge on the top (D0/ any A1\ any win). | ||||
| 8 A4+ | Black makes the required counter-attack to avoid losing to the edge. | ||||
| 9 @2+ | This thoroughly kills the black attack, and leaves 2 threats - the edge across the top and a 4 stage threat on the right hand side
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| 10 C0/ | Black caps off the edge while making an attack. This is a faulty move since it does not defend the white 4 stage threat on the right. | ||||
| 11 F2+ | White defends both the attack and edge, while maintaining the 3 stage threat on the bottom right. This lets black off the hook - F1+ would win for white:
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| 12 G2\ | Let off the hook, black kills the 3 stage threat while setting up his own 4 stage across the top
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| 13 C0+ | Destroys the threat by killing a critical corner. | ||||
| 14 D7\ | Black attacks, hoping to use the corner to later link either the vertical or horizontal line | ||||
| 15 E7\ | The only safe defence. E6+ loses to C8/ any E8\ any win | ||||
| 16 E1+ | Black realises that white also has a strong vertical line prospect. This move continues pushing the black line while slowing down the white line. It also creates a black L (G1/). | ||||
| 17 F7\ | White attacks, partially turning back the black line. | ||||
| 18 F8\ | Black counterattacks with an unconnected line (H5+ completes the line) | ||||
| 19 E0/ | White turns back the other end of the line threat by linking it to the L. This kills the horizontal line threat that was building, and also sets up an L in the top left corner (B1/) | ||||
| 20 E0/ | This defuses the white L while reforming the black L (G1/). | ||||
| 21 H5+ | White makes an unconventional defence of the new L. In this instance, the conventional defences do not work. This move also sets up a 4 stage threat along the bottom and right hand sides H6+ any C11/ any H11\ any win | ||||
| 22 G2+ | Black reforms the line attack and temporarily defuses the 4 stage threat by providing a counter-attack (H3/). | ||||
| 23 F0/ | White defends the line threat | ||||
| 24 G1+ | This allows Black to straighten the line again later, and sets up a 4 stage loop line threat
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| 25 I6\ | White kills the critical corner while setting an L (I5/). Note that black has a counter-attack to the other 3 stage threat (H7+, H4+). | ||||
| 26 H3\ | Black kills both threats anyway, setting up his own 2 stage (H1/) and 3 stage J6+ any J3/ any win | ||||
| 27 H7+ | White kills both threats while setting up 3 more of his own, an L, and edge and a loop line threat: I11\ any win C12/ any H12\ any win D3+ any D1\ any win | ||||
| 28 J7+ | This kills the L and defuses the loop line threat, but ignores the edge. Killing all 3 threats is quite difficult. Possibly 28 F12\ may be the only safe move as black can use it to give his own edge at the bottom. Black can then defend white's counter-attack with 30 J6\, defusing the loop line threat and forming a black L (J3/) | ||||
| 29 C12/ | White activates the edge to win. | ||||
| 30 B10+ | |||||
| 31 H12\ | |||||
| 32 RESIGN |  |