Subject: Seldom won winnable games.

Another oddly low ELO:

Game: 9x1 24111-5; ..... Game stats: 39/4/10.3%/1952; ..... Player Elo: 2350.102 ▲ 0.740.

Game: 5x5 16719-5; ..... Game stats: 8/2/25%/1992; ..... Player Elo: 2273.766 ▲ 1.335.

You know it's winnable.  You use a deck of cards.  You keep trying until you win it. What's so hard about that?

Now, if you won it using just your brain on the first try, that would be worthy of note.

Actually, if you won it on the first try using the deck of cards, that would also be worthy of note.

This game was all but lost - just moving cards around when a column to be cleared presented itself!

Game: 10x0 19498-5; ..... Game stats: 22/3/13.6%/1951; ..... Player Elo: 2270.035 ▲ 1.110.

"You know it's winnable.  You use a deck of cards.  You keep trying until you win it. What's so hard about that?

Now, if you won it using just your brain on the first try, that would be worthy of note.

Actually, if you won it on the first try using the deck of cards, that would also be worthy of note."

   --   firenze, 2023

Golly, gosh, 2-in-a-row!

Game: 10x0 1364-5; ..... Game stats: 25/2/8%/2054; ..... Player Elo: 2271.840 ▲ 1.805.

Let's make it a hat trick Ellie!

Consecutive games, Ellie - Snap!!

"Snap!!" indeed.  Well done kangaroo.

AND, congratulations on leading the 12-sum yearly standings (3,442,685, kangaroo) !

Sundays Freakout 1200

7x3 5290-7

55 plays, 2 wins. It was proven winnable behoren the tournament, I think 40-1

It bugged me since then. Finally  foundation the exact route.

Congrats to arch1 winning the Freakout 

starting to include some 11x0 but result depends on my mind state, today seems okay !

From Ellie2, Sep 22

AND, congratulations on leading the 12-sum yearly standings (3,442,685, kangaroo) !

I see you're mounting a challenge Ellie, up to 1.8 million. I'll have to keep an eye on you!!

This was a surprise! I was thinking 50%.

Pretty stinky, but fun.  Requires care:

10x0-5: 12885  [significant detail added thanks to roo]

For the record in case a future archaeologist wants to know the game number: it was 10x0 12885-5.

Thanks much, roo.  Since "the change", I struggle with copy-and-paste of the stats. 

Whoa.  This one shocked me completely.  Just didn't detect any olfactory offense whatsoever.

it worth some thinking

Wow, a very nice game to win!

         Game: 6x4 30889-5;
Game stats: 67/2/3%/2174;
  Player Elo: 2299.998 ▲ 2.669,, .!!

quite unusual for a 13x0

Elapsed:6:49

        Game: 7x3 23690-5
Game stats: 41/3/7.3%/1721
  Player Elo: 2309.734 ▲ 0.261.

Gee, another difficult game:

        Game: 7x3 9435-5
Game stats: 76/4/5.3%/1798
  Player Elo: 2310.146 ▲ 0.400.

Ouch, 3 in one day:

        Game: 7x3 28534-5
Game stats: 44/3/6.8%/1726
  Player Elo: 2310.447 ▲ 0.269.

First I lose one (6x5 6642-8), and then I get this one:

        Game: 6x5 13301-5
Game stats: 81/3/3.7%/2125
  Player Elo: 2309.171 ▲ 2.093.

Whoa.......  I knew the stats on this one wouldn't be high, but the degree surprised me.  Intricate, with a complex nose:

12x0 6494-5

71/3/4.2%/1888

 Nice game:  Game: 6x4 14854-5
Game stats: 67/2/3%/2190
  Player Elo: 2322.056 ▲ 2.604.

This is only 1/1, so its not like most of the games posted here.  But I found it to be, at least for me, one of the hardest and least intuitive games that I have played in a long time, so I decided to post it.  The 22 min is way off; I took a screen shot and looked at it for hours over 2 days, and then stopped part way through and looked at it some more.

With apologies to Sherlock Homes:

When you can see the obvious plays don't work, then one of the non-obvious plays, no matter how improbable, could be the right play.

Lindy,

You aren’t the first to quote Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for help in solving hard games.  His advice is definitely one of the best techniques for cracking seemingly impossible games.  FWIW, the all-time leader in Master’s victories, WRAC, was the master at Sherlocking his way to solving a hard game this way. I’ve also used it to great success.  Interesting that you say it’s not intuitive.  It’s always seemed intuitive to me and I’m guessing it was always intuitive to WRAC as well.

        Game: 10x0 10998-5
Game stats: 27/3/11.1%/1991
  Player Elo: 2307.924 ▲ 1.122.

Sherlocking? Or "you always find the solution in the last place that you look"

Cute Sherlock joke

        Game: W9x2 24415-6
Game stats: 9/2/22.2%/1750
  Player Elo: 2325.501 ▲ 0.283.

And now for something completely different

        Game: 10x0 19231-5
Game stats: 29/2/6.9%/2071
  Player Elo: 2327.030 ▲ 1.510.

Wow, this one was a happy surprise:

        Game: 6x4 28685-5
Game stats: 65/3/4.6%/2071
  Player Elo: 2325.371 ▲ 1.526.

I thought this one was fairly easy -- only 38 moves:

        Game: 10x0 6330-5
Game stats:  31/4/12.9%/1957
  Player Elo: 2339.460 ▲ 0.803.

10-sum players are usually pretty careful, imo.  Maybe it was played in a tournament?

Just won 8x4 3741-7, a 12.9% game, it was challenging but I was surprised when I saw the low percent! I'm not sure if that's the lowest percent game I've won, but must be close.

Piece of the proverbial! 33/108 moves.

I noted your time was 6:32 Ellie.

Armed with the knowledge that it was winnable I played it as a tournament game. I doubt it's been in one though.

Bravo, roo!  5 fewer moves, and MUCH faster,,!!!

        Game: 12x0 29138-6
Game stats: 11/2/18.2%/1755
  Player Elo: 2341.106 ▲ 0.266.

Nice to solve a 15% 13x0 in a comp.

nice one roo

i had this one, but I probably missed all the fun of it

        Game: 9x2 23544-9
Game stats: 15/2/13.3%/1864
  Player Elo: 2331.388 ▲ 0.511.