Arimaa Strategy and Tactics

In the board game Arimaa, a tactic is usually a one-move plan that results in tangible gain. When the opponent's options are severly constrained, it is sometimes possible to calculate precisely to two moves out, i.e. four steps for the player on move, four steps for the opponent, and four more steps for the first player. In this case a two-move plan may be considered a tactic as well. Plans which take three moves or longer to come to fruition are usually impossible to calculate out with precision, and therefore generally belong to the realm of strategy.

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Tactics

The most basic tactics to master are those in which a friendly rabbit can be brought to the goal, or an opposing piece captured, within four steps. If one can't achieve victory or capture in a single move, one's opponent will often be able to bring in reinforcements which change the situation dramatically, in which case the play becomes more strategic.

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One-move goal

Most simply, a rabbit may be able to make four steps to the goal, even if the path superficially appears blocked by a trap square and/or opposing pieces which would seem to freeze the rabbit. At left, the gold rabbit on b5 can step to victory via b6, c6, c7, and c8. The rabbit is safe on the trap due to the gold dog on c5, and is never frozen because it is always next to a friendly piece on the way home. True, the rabbit will be frozen once it reaches c8, but Gold will have won regardless.

Pulling away an opposing piece may allow a blocked rabbit to advance. At left the gold rabbit on g6 can reach the goal after the gold cat on h7 retreats to h6, pulling the silver rabbit from g7 to h7. Note that the gold camel on f6 is captured when the rabbit advances, but reaching the goal is worth any sacrifice. Also note that while beginners seem to enjoy pushing more than pulling, a push is ineffectual in this case. If the cat pushes the silver rabbit, the cat will itself be in the way of the friendly rabbit, which won't then have time to reach the goal in the same move.

Near the goal line, a rabbit which is frozen but not blocked is a constant threat. Silver to move could push the gold horse on b3 to c3 with the camel on b4. This would unfreeze the silver rabbit on b2, which could then step to victory via a2 and a1. Occasionally a blocked and frozen rabbit may be unblocked and unfrozen at the same time. Silver to move could pull the gold rabbit from g2 to g3 with the silver elephant on g3 sliding to f3 to unfreeze the silver rabbit on f2, which would then move to g2 and g1. The silver elephant would be sacrificed on f3 in the process, which makes this tactic easy to miss in the heat of battle.

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One-move capture

A piece which is two squares away from an undefended trap square can often be dislodged twice and captured. In the diagram at right, if it is Silver's turn, the silver dog on b6 could push the gold cat on b7 to c7 (or pull it to b6) and then push it to c6. A piece which is only one square away from an otherwise undefended trap square is even more vulnerable, beause it is threatened even by non-adjacent enemy pieces. If it is Gold's turn, the gold elephant on d5 can step to c5, then b5, and still have time to push the silver dog on b6 to c6. Somtimes one may need to push an obstructing piece out of the way to get at a vulnerable piece. Gold to move could push the silver cat on g7 to h7 with the gold camel on g6, then push the silver horse on f7 to f6, capturing it.

A piece on a trap square with only one adjacent friendly piece is also extremely vulnerable. Silver to move could capture the gold horse on c3 by stepping the silver elephant on d4 to c4, then b4, and then dislodging the gold dog on b3.

If one has two friendly pieces near a trap square, and the opponent has only one, it may be possible to capture by stepping through the trap square and pulling in the opposing piece. Silver to move could step the silver camel on f4 south, where it is safe due to the silver dog on g3, then pull the gold dog on f2 north to f3, capturing it.

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One-move capture defense

The most common and fundamental capture defense is to station an elephant next to a trap square. Since nothing can dislodge an elephant, nothing can be captured in that trap square until the elephant voluntarily moves away. At left, no gold pieces can be captured in the northwest trap square as long as the gold elephant remains on c5. If all stronger enemy pieces are tied up elsewhere, a single piece such as a horse may defend a trap square alone, but must beware of a changing situation which liberates any stronger opposing piece to move nearer and threaten it.

The second-most common and fundamental capture defense is to station two or more pieces next to a trap square. This allows weaker pieces with numerical superiority to defend against one, and sometimes two strong attackers, but not three because three attackers can surround three sides of a trap. At left, Silver has defended the c6 trap square with a dog on b6 and a rabbit on c7. If Gold pushes the rabbit away, there will not be enough time to capture the dog, and if Gold pushes the dog away, there will not be enough time to capture the rabbit. Gold to move can at most set up the threat of a capture for the following move, which gives Silver time to defend.

Occasionally one may wish to defend a trap square without bringing a second piece adjacent to it. In this case one generally obstructs the path of the attacking piece with friendly pieces. The gold camel on g6 can't capture the vulnerable silver horse on f7, because the silver cat on g7 is in the way, and the silver rabbits on h7 and g8 prevent the cat from being pushed. Gold could pull the cat to g6, but that would only make it a second defender of the northeast trap square.

The situation around the southwest trap square is straightforward. Because of the gold rabbit on b4, the silver elephant can't get adjacent to the gold dog on b3 with two steps left to dislodge it.

One counter-intuitive way to block the path of an opposing piece is to station a friendly piece on a trap square. Silver to move could push or pull the gold cat on f3 in a variety of ways, but always to a square from which it defends the f3 trap square long enough to prevent the capture of the gold dog on f2 for at least the present move. The disadvantage of this strategy is that the cat itself will be captured if the dog can be dislodged.

A last resort capture defense is to retreat threatened pieces to the edges and corners of the board. This usually only delays capture, because the weak pieces can often be frozen and eventually pulled into the (now completely undefended) trap. On the other hand, delaying captures for a few moves may sometimes buy time which is critical to making progress elsewhere on the board.

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False protection

After one has learned the basic ways of defending a trap square, one may be lured into a false sense of security by an optical illusion of defense. At right, Silver has two pieces next to the northwest trap square, but since both pieces can be dislodged, Gold has a one-move capture. First the gold elephant on b5 can push the silver dog from b6 to c6, and then the newly unfrozen gold cat on b7 can push the silver rabbit from c7 to c8, capturing the dog. Alternatively Gold can capture the rabbit by pushing (or pulling) the dog away from c6, then pushing the rabbit from c7 into c6.

Around the northeast trap square, the gold camel is indeed blocked from pushing the silver horse into the trap square in one move, but not from pulling it there. Gold could first step the gold rabbit on g5 to f5, making it safe for the gold camel to step to f6, after which the gold camel could step either east or west while pulling the silver horse south and capturing it.

In the southwest corner Gold has calculated that even if the silver elephant pushes the gold rabbit from b4 to a4, the gold dog on b3 is safe from a push. This is correct but insufficient, because the silver elephant may still pull the gold dog from b3 to b4, capturing the gold horse on c3.

The situation around the southeast trap square demonstrates that an enemy piece in a trap square provides less protection than a friendly one. Silver may voluntarily step east or west with the dog on f3, and still have three steps left to enter the trap square with the camel on f4, then pull the gold dog from f2 to f3, capturing it.

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