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Stake-out

TigerGo & TigerMarks (which has been renamed as Stake-out): © Copyright G. Nicholls 2011 TigerGo TigerGo is the name given to the study/assessment of deployment/opening moves and positions of TigerChess etc. and no time limits are set or Game Points scored. Although no Tiger’s-eye Game or Nominal Points (See Games by Groupings)are awarded for TigerGo there can be awarded “Openings-marks” for (and depending on) the quality of any analysis an individual may have made following his/her study of one or more Deployment/Opening moves/lines. TigerGo also has a much wider scope and Openings-marks can also be awarded for all appropriate Tiger’s-Eye Games where study and analysis has been made of one or more Openings. Efforts must be made to ensure the amount of such marks awarded is both reasonably comparable within Games and between different Games. Also included under TigerGo is what is often unofficially called “Petty Chess” or sometimes “Spin-off Chess” where various studies and analyses are made of endgames, tactics, mate-solving problems (there can be competitions for these type of problems) etc. for various Tiger’s-Eye Games (mainly of the Chess type). As with openings, no Tiger’s-Eye Game or Nominal Points are awarded but there can be awarded “Study-marks” or “Problem-marks” and efforts must be made here also to ensure the amount of such marks awarded is reasonably comparable both within Games and between different Games. Assessments of moves and positions are often by subjective opinion but a game(s) based somewhat on TigerGo can be played by using a playing/territorial scoring system called "Stake-out" as follows: Stake-out 1. The Stake-out playing/scoring system can be used for numerous Chess or Chess type games – standard (base) are LancerChess & Touchstone (under page "Springboard"). Games are then designated e.g. “Stake-out – Touchstone”. 2. The game (Touchstone, LancerChess etc.) is played as usual with usual boards and Pieces etc. and either ends as normal (by Checkmate or a Draw etc.) or is stopped (even if a Queen is in Check) then “Marked out” and scored after a fixed number of moves has been played by each player. The fixed number of moves is set at one per number of Pieces for each player and so for LancerChess is set at sixteen moves for each player and is also for Touchstone – this does not mean that each Piece has to be moved once. 3. Game Points scored are one for a win and a half each for a draw. 4. Clocks are single countdown but can vary a great deal in how much time is set. Suggested tournament/match time is sixty minutes single countdown for each player. 5. The Players are named according to the base game. 6. The Sides and Pieces are called by their usual names as in the base game being played. 7. After the fixed number of moves has been played it is considered that hostilities have ended and no more moves or capturing moves may be made by either player and also Queens are no longer vulnerable to Check or Checkmate. 8. . Territory is then “Marked out” with “Markers” and then “Claim-marks” are counted and the player scoring more Claim-marks wins the game. A win can also occur by Checkmate but this must be delivered before or at the end of the fixed move limit. Also a draw is possible in this way e.g. stalemate. 9. Territory is Marked out with Markers and counted/scored with Claim-marks for each player as follows and is as though each player were to move next (i.e. had the move): a) A Marker is placed on any Squares/Positions that are unoccupied but can be safely occupied by one or more of a player’s Pieces and also cannot be occupied and are not under attack by one or more of his opponent’s Pieces. Each player receives one Claim-mark for each of his Markers so placed and these Squares/Positions are called “Marked Squares/Positions”. b) Each player also receives one Claim-mark for each Square/Position occupied by one of his Pieces irrespective of whether the Piece is under attack by one or more of his opponent’s Pieces or defended by one or more of his own Pieces – this is because hostilities have ended and possession by occupation of a Square/Position is not now allowed to be disputed. These Squares/Positions are called “Occupied Squares/Positions”. c) Unoccupied Squares/Positions where both players could, were it their turn, occupy with or capture on with one or more of their Pieces do not have a Marker placed on them – this is because hostilities have ended and so it is not allowed for there to be Markers placed on unsafe or disputed Squares/Positions. d) Also because hostilities have ended Pikemen cannot have their capturing moves including en-passant capturing moves considered for placing their player’s Markers on (but such moves can prevent the placing of their opponent’s Markers) but only their non-capturing moves, which could include a Pikeman’s usual optional two-square initial move but not where this passes over an opposing en-passant capturing Square/Position. e) No more than one Marker can be placed on any one Square/Position. f) After Marking out is completed the total Claim-marks for each player are counted and compared and the player with the higher total wins the game or if the totals are the same the game is a draw. g) Players may have assistance with Marking out/counting/scoring. This part of the game is called the “Marking out Phase” and should be completed and agreed within a reasonable time – considered as no more than thirty minutes. h) As can be seen there are six categories of Squares/Positions that can occur during the Marking out Phase as follows: i. Those that are unoccupied and can be occupied only by South – these have Markers placed on them and are counted. ii. Those that are unoccupied and can be occupied only by North – these have Markers placed on them and are counted. iii. Those that actually are occupied by South. These are counted. iv. Those that actually are occupied by North. These are counted. v. Those that are unoccupied but “covered” by both South and North – these do not have Markers placed on them and are not counted. vi. Those that are unoccupied and not “covered” by either South or North – these do not have Markers placed on them and are not counted. i) When played as part of “A Sundry Trio” (see Games by Groupings) the players must play both LancerChess and Touchstone as base games but no other game can be played, first game played and first side choice (sides are reversed for second game) must be by a roll of a standard dice or coin. An Example: A famous game as an example for this scoring system can be the “Opera Game” played by Paul Morphy (white) v the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard. The first sixteen moves for each side led to this position: Morphy played 17. Rd8 Checkmate, but under the Stake-out system the game is stopped after sixteen moves each and the position is Marked out. Morphy still wins however, as follows: Under i) above, Morphy has thirteen squares – A4, B1, C3, D2, D3, E1, E3, F1, F3, G1, G3, H1, H4. Under ii) above, the Duke & Count have nine squares – A6, A5, B6, C8, C6, C5, G8, G6, H5. Under iii) above, Morphy has ten squares – A2,B2,C1,C2,D1,E4,F2,G2,G5,H2. Under iv) above, the Duke & Count also have ten squares – A7,B8,E5,E6,E8,F7,F8,G7,H7,H8. Morphy’s total of Claim-marks is then 23 compared to the Duke and Count’s 19 and so Morphy wins by 1-0 Game points.

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By Glenn Nicholls.

Last revised by Glenn Nicholls.


Web page created: 2011-10-24. Web page last updated: 2011-10-24