Preface
The author of this textbook is Alexey Priymak, a multiple winner of prestigious tournaments and one of the strongest players in the history of Dots. The first edition of his textbook was published in 2013 on the Polish platform Zagram. The second was released in 2015 on the Sport Dots project portal. Due to the closure of the latter, this unique educational material became unavailable to a wider audience, so it's only logical that the question of a third edition arose immediately after the Tensu website was launched.
The manual has been restored from the original source material of the second version and edited. With the author's consent, specific terms used have been synchronized with the basic terminologydeveloped by the Sevastopol Sports Dots Club without distorting their meaning. Furthermore, references to the functionality of various gaming platforms and some anachronisms have been removed from the text.
Despite its considerable age by online standards, the educational material provided remains relevant and will provide excellent support for beginning players. A separate forum thread has been created for its discussion.
Introduction
Dots is a fascinating logic game with simple rules, yet at the same time offering an endless number of combinations and complex strategy. You must utilize the entire space of a large board to surround your opponent's dots and protect your own. Your opponents range from beginners to grandmasters. To improve, you'll have to show your best, and then some.
Why and how to take the training?
It's very difficult to beat strong players - the tutorial will tell you where the keys to these locks are hidden.
Training saves time: in a few days of training you will learn as much as in a couple of months of gaming practice.
Effective learning is only possible through a comprehensive approach: theory, analysis of archival games, problems, and game practice.
I hope it goes without saying that you first need to familiarize yourself with the rules of the game.
The theory includes thirty articles, grouped by level of difficulty. Good luck!