This is a message of chriscool: "Space-Time"
(Source: http://90214.aceboard.net/90214-2318-3559-0-Space-time.htm )

Abalone is an environnement where two opponents will fight. This environnement is not a space, it is a space-time.

I will illustrate this notion with a few examples.

Everybody knows how strategically important is the central point. This is because this central point allows the player controling it to move from a quadrant to another through straight line. To go from one position to another one, it is usual that you'll need less moves when you have control of the central point than when you don't.

Another example that will illustrate the time dimension, that i call timing, is to be found in the opening. Everybody knows that, in the beginning, each useless move is likely to give the central point or the whole middle line to the opponent.

Timing is about controling how time will pass on the board. The time i am talking about is not the one rythmed by the chrono but by moves done by the players. The fight between the two opponents is not about controling the space but, more than everything, controling this time. The idea of time introduces the ideas of initiative. The player possessing the initiative is the one that imposes the other to react to his moves rather than playing the moves firstly planned. Schematically, if one opponent has planned a threat he will be able to materialize in three moves when, in the same time, the other has got one in two moves, the latter will get the initiative. This explaination shows how timing and initiative are related.

Globally, three essential components can be observed in abalone : structure, position and timing. Structure can be materialized by a row of three balls, or a trapezoid block, for instance. Position means, for exemple, to hold the central point, one more (or less) row than the opponent. Those two components are spatial components. If the environnement was a space, control of this environnement would be achieved by being superior in these two components.

The last component, timing, is about keeping initiative as most as possible, to be able to threaten the opponent with less moves than he will need to threaten you. A restricted form of timing can be found in the ability to block or counter an attack in less moves than the attacker will need to achieve it.

The beginner must work on handling space, through those two components structure and position. As an exemple, the beginner must be able to move his block without weakening its structural part.
The beginner can quickly discover the notion of timing through the opening.

Once he is able to begin a game without losing the central point or the whole middle row and feels comfortable with his spatial abilities, he must acquire a better understanding of timing. Actually, because the environnement is not a space but a space-time, you cannot control the space if you have a bad timing, and vice-versa.

The second stage giving better understanding of this space-time is working in coins. To train in coins work allows, obviously, to progress in one's space management, but also regarding timing. This can be explained because each move, then, is able to change the result of the set that is going on. This kind of work is interesting in giving immediate feed-back. In other words, he will immediatly lose one ball as soon as he will lose timing.

I will talk about the next stage only on theoritical basis because i haven't reached it yet. Still, i can talk about what i observed in Eobllor and Gohatto sensei, ie a style that is mostly pure timing oriented.

Pure timing means that the two spatial components, structure and position, will be completely neglected. Regarding style, this is materialized by balls spread among the whole board. You can allow yourself not to be grouped nor around the center as long as you don't let time to your opponent to take advantage of those structural and positionnal weaknesses. This implies you keep your opponent in the constant obligation to react to your moves rather than play the ones he could have planned. This is materialized by agressive style by constantly and seriously threatening him in less moves than he would need to take advantage of his spatial strength (in structure and position).

It is usual to say that abalone advantages defense. This is no longer true if you consider that the very essence of attack is timing.

A first important consideration is that as soon as the opponent will take the initiative back, he will be considerably advantaged because he will be probably more grouped and better placed. In the pure timing approach, relaxing one very little moment your concentration will most likely imply guaranteed defeat. This is relativisated if the opponent plays timing too because, then, the advantage will constantly move from one side to the other as the opponents will successively give and take back the initiative. When one player plays timing while the other plays structure and position, the whole game can be lost with the first bad move the attacker could do.

It is a little bit a mistake to describe the pure timing style as an offensive style, because there is no more differences, in this style, between attack and defense : you defend with your attacks.

An interesting idea is that the central point, being the farest from the sides of the board, is a privilagiated position to defend but also, for this very same reason, the worst place for attacking in timing form because it will require you to do more moves to eat your opponent's balls. This paradoxal idea is the reason why, i think, it is so difficult to reach this stage bacause you have to unlearn the importance of the center you thought was vital so far. If you consider that the very essence of attack is timing, then the central point is not only useless, but will be even a handicap for your timing if you keep focusing on it. This is demonstrated by the way that gohatto can attack with only a bunch of isolated balls behind the ennemy's lines. Those isolated balls are not anymore and in any way related or bound to the center point and, believe it or not, those few balls are a real pain in the ass !

Pure timing is just an ideal that only a real abalone master would reach. Actually, Eobllor and Gohatto privilegiate timing above structure and position but those two spatial components are still partly taken in consideration. The structural component can be observed in the Divide and Conquer strategy they use : weaken an opponent's block by introducing a row behind ennemy's lines, reducing an opponent's row of three balls to two balls, placing one ball in the opponent's structure, etc...
It has to be noticed, however, that they try to weaken the opponent's spatial components (structure and position) without really trying to strengthen theirs.



To be continued...  

--Last edited by AbaloneTheory-Forum on 2005-12-04 16:04:36 --