Strategy is a player's method of achieving a result. Players strive to win or draw. Typically, a player chooses an attacking strategy to achieve a win, and a defensive strategy to achieve a draw. Strategy is also chosen based on the opponent's strength and one's own abilities. If the opponent is stronger, a defensive strategy is used, while if the opponent is weaker, an offensive strategy is used. Against a lesser-known or equally strong opponent, a cautious attack or defense is used. Strategies for common situations Free branches. Both players have the same position. This situation is advantageous for the defending player. They build difficult-to-pass branches and push them closer to the edge of the field, where they are difficult to surround. The attacking player needs to launch an attack earlier, before the opponent's branches grow too large. Abstract branches. Both players have the same position. This situation is advantageous for the attacking player. He should initiate the attack early and try to penetrate the opponent's branches to create additional crosses. The defending player should strengthen his branches or create abstract clusters out of them. Abstract clusters. Both players have the same position. This situation is advantageous for both players. The attacking player can try to break through the opponent's crowd and create additional crossing opportunities. The defending player controls a large area of the field, which helps in defense. A struggle of branches without additional crosses. Both players have the same position. This situation favors the defending player. He should try to expand his territory and make his branches difficult to penetrate. The attacking player should initiate the attack earlier or try to create additional crosses. A multi-cross game with a tied score. Both players have the same position. This situation is advantageous for the attacking player. He should attack the opponent's weakest position. The defending player doesn't need to make additional crosses and should extend his branches. A multi-cross game with an uneven score. The blue player has captured more dots than his opponent, so he's ahead. This situation favors the player who is ahead. He should go on the defensive. The losing player should attack his opponent's weakest points. A cautious attack aimed at gaining at least one dot, then a defensive transition. The blue player took the opponent's dot into the net. This situation is beneficial for the attacking player, as he takes little risk. A sharp attack during a branch struggle. The red player tries to capture the blue dots in the net. This situation is beneficial to both players depending on the success of the attack or defense. Abstract (wide) attack. The red player attacks the blue branch. This situation is beneficial to both players depending on the success of the attack or defense. Global attack after the opponent has surrounded the center (global attack on the base). The red player attacks the blue player. A global attack is advantageous for the defending player, as it's more difficult to achieve a global encirclement than to defend against it. The defending player should try to land himself. Defense should be in the easiest places to do so—at the edge of the field and where there are few enemy dots. The attacking player should use abstract clusters and attack the easiest spots for the opponent to defend. The defending player can allow himself to be outflanked in several places, as defending in one spot is enough to land the base. The attacking player must successfully attack in all areas of the field to encircle the opponent's base. Global attack from the very beginning of the game. The blue player attacks the red player. This situation is advantageous for the defending player, as global encirclement is more difficult to achieve than defending against. However, in this case (unlike when the defending player has captured the center), the defending player's dots are further from the edge of the field, making it easier for the attacking player.
The choice of game strategy should be aimed at achieving the desired result. In some games, a draw is sufficient (usually against stronger opponents), while in others, a win is essential. The strategy depends on the desired outcome and the strength of the opponent. If your opponent is stronger, it's better to defend and create fewer crossings on the field, trying to prevent your opponent from taking the lead. If you attack or allow additional crossings, the impact of your opponent's strength on the game increases, making it more difficult for you. If the opponent is weaker, it's better to attack or force the opponent to create additional crosses. Attacking shouldn't be done too early or too late. Playing against a stronger opponent Against a stronger opponent, you should try to build free branches from the very beginning of the game. Free branches are located far from your opponent's branches (Fig. 1), meaning you shouldn't engage in branch struggle. Also, the branches should be difficult to pass. If you build abstract branches, your opponent will pass through them and the number of crosses on the board will increase, which is disadvantageous for you. Figure 1 - Freely placed branches at the beginning of the game By building free branches, you demonstrate your intention to play for a draw. Your goal is to bring your branches as close to the edge of the board as possible. If your opponent wants to win, he'll launch an attack on one of your branches (Fig. 2). Then you'll need to defend it. Defend a branch by building abstract branches and clusters. You should first defend in the easiest spot—where your chain is closest to the edge of the board and where the opponent's dot concentration is lower and yours is higher. If your defense fails in one spot, you should begin defending in another. Figure 2 - The red player is trying to surround the blue branch, which is trying to defend itself The opponent will have to take risks and may lose several dots to gain a better position. If you prevent a branch from being surrounded, you can gain a score advantage and have a chance to win. But then the opponent will attack your other branch, which also needs to be defended. However, since the opponent is stronger, he may capture one of your dots during the attack, since you are defending an abstract branch and there are gaps between your dots. After gaining an advantage, the opponent can either go on the defensive or stop surrounding you. If the opponent goes on the defensive, you need to go on the attack. If during the attack you manage to capture dots and take the lead, you can go on the defensive again. Playing against a weaker opponent At the start of a game against a weaker opponent, there may be free branches, and you'll need to attack—surround one of the branches. It's best not to delay the attack, as the larger the branch, the more difficult it is to surround. It's not recommended to start the game with an abstract attack; first, build small branches in the center. If you capture one or more of the opponent's dots during the attack, you can stop the attack and switch to defense, especially if the opponent is defending well. The best way to start the game is to struggle branches (Fig. 3). You can force your opponent into a mistake or create additional crosses on the field. If you still haven't taken the lead, you can launch an attack on one of your opponent's branches that is in a worse position on the field. Figure 3 – Branch struggle at the beginning of the game Playing against an opponent of equal strength When playing against an equal opponent, you need to combine the recommendations for playing against strong and weak opponents.
An abstract attack is a type of attack using an abstract branch. An abstract attack is one of the best attack methods because it allows you to cover the required distance on the board to capture your opponent's branch into an abstract cluster (Fig. 1). You then need to strengthen your branch and prevent your opponent from breaking it or connecting with another branch. An abstract attack is used in almost every game. Figure 1 - Abstract attack situation (left) and attack diagram (right) When one player launches an abstract attack, the other player attempts to break the first player's abstract branch. The first player strengthens his abstract branch, and then, where the players' branches interact, the abstract attack transitions into a branch struggle (Figure 2). Figure 2 - Abstract attack turns into a branch struggle (left) and a diagram (right) Preparing an abstract attack Before launching an abstract attack, the player must line up difficult-to-pass branches on both sides, with the opponent's branch between them. If the difficult-to-pass branches are too small, the opponent will be able to easily defend against the abstract attack. The abstract attacking branch must then connect the two difficult-to-pass branches and capture the opponent's branch in the abstract cluster (Fig. 3). Figure 3 - Before the abstract attack, the red player builds two difficult-to-pass branches (left) and during the abstract attack connects them with an abstract branch (right) Difficult-to-pass branches shouldn't be noticeably drawn to the location of your abstract attack (Fig. 4). Your opponent will understand which branch of his the abstract attack will target and will spend more dots building that branch. The longer your opponent's branch, the more difficult it will be to attack. Figure 4 - Two hard-to-pass red branches gravitate towards the place of abstract attack and thus show your intentions (left), two red branches do not show your intentions (right) Performing an abstract attack You need to identify the opponent's branch with the worst position and launch an abstract attack against it. An abstract attack begins by blocking the end of the opponent's branch (Fig. 5). Your own dots should be placed several points away from the end of the opponent's branch. If you place the dots too far away, the opponent's branch will have too much space to defend (Fig. 6). Figure 5 - An example of the beginning of an abstract attack: the red branch blocks the end of the blue branch (gif animation) Figure 6 - A successful (left) and unsuccessful (right) start of an abstract attack for the red player After blocking the end of the opponent's branch, his branch will turn the situation into a branch struggle or will try to avoid being surrounded in places where there are few of your dots (Fig. 7). Figure 7 - The blue player turns the situation into a branch struggle (left) or defends in places where there are few dots of the red player (right) End of the abstract attack During your attack, your opponent may use sacrifices to defend, which you can seize and gain the lead. You can also take advantage of your opponent's defensive mistakes to gain the lead. In this case, you can forego the abstract attack and switch to defense. With an abstract attack, you may lose some dots to gain a better position. You'll have to see the attack through to the end to recover your score. Your opponent may defend against your abstract attack. Then you can launch an attack on another branch of your opponent's line. If your opponent has defended himself against your attack and has launched a counterattack, you need to go on the defensive.
Abstract defense is protection using an abstract branch or abstract cluster. Abstract defense is one of the best defenses against branch struggles, abstract attacks, and global attacks, and for preventing them. Abstract defense should be used instead of branch struggle or in addition to them. The construction of a defensive abstract branch should be based on the base, which should be your difficult-to-pass branch (Fig. 1). The defensive branch should not be built at a right angle to the base; this will improve protection. Figure 1 - Construction of an abstract defensive branch using a difficult-to-pass branch as a base. The defensive branch is constructed at a right angle to the base (left) or at a non-right angle, forming an abstract cluster with the difficult-to-pass branch (right). When defending abstractly, your abstract branch or cluster can be penetrated by the opponent's dots. Therefore, you need to use the numerical advantage of your dots and try to surround the opponent's dots or stop their passage (Fig. 2). Figure 2 - Examples of defending abstract blue branches when attacking a red branch. When your defensive abstract branch isn't built at a right angle to the base, it's easier to surround your opponent's penetrating branch (right). Creating a base for defense when there is none If you don't have a base, it's small, or it's under attack by an opponent, it will be difficult to build a good defensive abstract branch. Therefore, during a branch struggle or an abstract attack, you can extend your defensive branches and use them as the basis for new defensive branches (Fig. 3). Figure 3 - First the blue player uses the base and builds a defensive branch which is attacked by the red branch (left), then the blue player uses the built defensive branch along with the old base as a new base to build a new defensive branch (right) Abstract defense in branch struggle During a branch struggle, the abstract defense of a branch should begin not from the end of the branch, but from the point of least concentration of the opponent's dots (Fig. 4). Building a defensive abstract branch will mean constructing a second line of defense. Figure 4 - Branch struggle situation (left). If the branch struggle continues, the defending blue branch has little chance of defending itself (center). Building an abstract branch for defense will increase the blue branch's chances (right). Abstract defense against an abstract attack When attacking abstractly, you should try to expand the territory controlled by your branch by building an abstract cluster (Fig. 5). The cluster dots shouldn't be placed too far apart, otherwise the opponent will pass through them. However, you should force the opponent to place abstract dots with gaps between them, so that you can then penetrate through the gaps and push the opponent's branch even further, attempting to break it. Figure 5 - The defending blue branch is trying to increase its controlled territory Also, to protect against an abstract attack, it is suitable to build defensive abstract branches, which will be used as a basis for building new defensive branches.
A global attack is a situation where one player attempts to capture all or almost all of the other player's dots. The attacker uses an abstract attack, while the defender uses an abstract defense. A global attack usually begins when one player has captured many of the other player's dots in the center of the field. The second player then needs to surround the center. Less often, a global attack begins from the very beginning of the game (Fig. 1). Figure 1 - The red player's global attack begins after the blue player captures the center of the field (left), the blue player's global attack begins at the start of the game (right) Attack during a global attack You should begin your attack on your opponent in a location where it's easiest for them to land—where their encirclement regions are closest to the edge of the field and where your dot concentration is low (Fig. 2). Your attack branch should be abstract. When the opponent begins to break through your branch, you should strengthen it and build a stronger attack branch on top of it (Fig. 3). Figure 2 - The right place to start a global attack Figure 3 - The blue player builds a stronger attack branch when an attempt is made to break it If your opponent is playing an abstract defense and leaving large gaps between dots, you can move through his defending dots rather than over their dots (Fig. 4). Moving through your opponent's branch is also possible in cases where your opponent has a high chance of preventing your attacking branch from moving over theirs. Figure 4 - The blue attacking branch passes through the defending red branches When your opponent starts building defensive branches in other parts of the field, you need to attack in those places (Fig. 5). Figure 5 - The blue player reacts to the construction of new red branches and attacks them Your attacking branches should be a certain distance from your opponent's base. The larger the opponent's base, the larger the foundation for constructing defensive abstract branches, and the easier it is to build a defense. Therefore, the larger the opponent's base you want to surround, the greater the distance you should retreat from it when attacking (Figs. 6, 7). Figure 6 - From the small red base, the attacking blue branch retreats 4-5 points (on the left), from the larger red base, the attacking blue branch retreats 6-7 points (on the right) Figure 7 - Global encirclement at the start of the game - blue player's attack dots are too far away (left) and blue player's attack dots are positioned normally (right) Defense against a global attack When defending against a global attack on your base (a global attack not from the start of the game), you should start defending in the easiest spot to land. If that fails, you should move your defense to other easy-to-land spots. Finally, defend in hard-to-defend spots. When defending against a global attack from the start of the game, you need to increase the space you control, which you can then use as a basis for building new defensive branches. To protect yourself, use abstract defense and branch struggle techniques.
In a multi-cross game, each player uses multiple branches. These branches are often created at the beginning of the game. The more new crosses players create, the more branches they grow into. The weaker the player, the more difficult it is to play multi-cross games. This is because each new branch creates more possible outcomes, which means more experience is required. If a player is stronger or losing the game, it's advantageous to split the opponent's branches to create more crosses. This creates more attacking opportunities. If a player is weaker or is winning, it is advantageous for him not to create additional crosses so as not to give the opponent more opportunities to attack. Creating a multi-cross game The game begins with one or more crosses. As the game progresses, players may consciously or unintentionally make additional crosses (Fig. 1). Figure 1 - An example where the game starts with 1 cross and 4 branches; the game soon moves to 3 crosses and 8 branches (gif animation) Once the number of crosses has increased, and while the players' branches are short, there is a high probability of a mistake by one of the players leading to the capture of one of the branches. Development of a multi-cross game If no mistakes occur at the beginning of the game and the created branches are not captured, later in the game the branches grow and become difficult to surround (Fig. 2). Figure 2 - Stabilization of the situation in a multi-cross game However, the stabilization of the situation is temporary. Players try to improve the position of their branches to gain better attacking opportunities. Often, the weaker player waits for the opponent's attack and defends. One player initiates an abstract attack or a branch struggle against the opponent's weakest branch.
Blitz is a fast-paced game, with a move time of 3-6 seconds. Some players believe that blitz reduces gameplay skills due to the short move time, which negatively impacts classic Dots, which has a longer move time. However, blitz can be beneficial, and learning to play it should be helpful in classic Dots. Beginners are weak at blitz because they're poor at classical Dots and think slowly. Strong players often play blitz because it requires less time and effort. Some strong players don't play blitz because they can't think quickly. The benefits of blitz are precisely related to quick thinking, memory training, and improved concentration, which allows them to calculate more situations and make fewer mistakes in classical Dots. Playing blitz well requires time. First, a player must move as quickly as possible to avoid running out of time. Then, a player must learn to think in blitz. With enough practice, one can learn to calculate situations several moves ahead in blitz. A player should strive to bring their blitz level closer to that of classical Dots. Then, they can play classical chess rarely and focus their efforts on blitz, saving time on training. Starting position 4X The four-cross (4X) starting position is common among strong players. 4X makes the game more interesting because the field situation becomes complex, and both players have to attack and defend. 4X is advantageous for players who are better at attacking. Also, in 4X (and in general, as the number of crosses in the game increases), it becomes easier for a stronger player to defeat a weaker one. In 4X, at the beginning of the game, you should try to build your branches along the perimeter and push your opponent's branches into the center (Fig. 1). Try to leave some of your opponent's branches outside. This will give you a better position on the field. Initially, you should use your dots in 2-3 crosses, and the rest will be used later. Then, you can attack your opponent's weak dots through the center. Surrounding all of your opponent's branches is difficult, so you should try to surround the weakly defended branches and go on the defensive. Figure 1 - Example of branch construction in 4X: blue branches are built along the perimeter and get a better position, red ones are driven into the center