Kibitz Garden ☕ for the Second Diplomatic Go Game

[Vsotvep]

Kibitz for Round 14

le_4TC

@le_4TC

Sanonius requested that I play 1. J1 (most likely colliding with Martin) and 2. M4 (perhaps colliding with Haze). I’m not sure how much this will help (there is a risk that it ends up hurting Sanonius, for instance if Martin plays K2 instead), but I will go along with it since I don’t have much else going on.

It seems very likely at this point that both Sanonius and Haze will die eventually. Even if Haze managed to capture L3, that would give at most 3 eyes (2 is more realistic), which wouldn’t be enough to stay safe from 3 or 4 bloodthirsty neighbours. So it seems like it doesn’t matter much what I do right now. There are of course many different possible outcomes in terms of exactly how they die, some of which may be more or less favorable to me, but it’s too complicated and I’m too lazy to even try to analyze that.

[Vsotvep]

Here’s a preview of the next round:

I’m not sure what Martin really wants on the right side. B2 is really a big setback; it gives more territory to Piggy and reduces Martin’s liberties at the same time…

[belabacsijolvan]

Poor le_4TC… He just wanted to help.

[Vsotvep]

I’m not entirely sure M4 has any other goal than to capture the M3 / N3 stones, though… So it’s a bit like helping Sanonius on one side, just to capture on the other…

[Groin]

Help for what?! He’s very safe and could just enlarge himself slowly.

[belabacsijolvan]

Wanted TO help. He said in kibitz log 14, that he will help Sanonius’s M3 group stay alive by playing M4. So Haze cannot kill it. But Haze didn’t play M4, so le_4TC just instakilled his stone…

[Groin]

What I meant is that he doesn’t need to help at all. Just expanding in the upper part will slowly suffocate his neighbor

[Vsotvep]

Kibitz log for Round 15

yebellz

@yebellz

This is from my private chat with @Maharani

@Maharani

I’ve been submitting L12 as my third choice pretty much every round except the last one. Quite comical that le_4TC got there first. I’m also a bit worried about that.

But they also just decided to air that grievance in our NBTO discussion thread

@Maharani

I’m a little miffed that le_4TC played L12. I’d been submitting it as my third move pretty much since round 3, and then the one round I didn’t, he grabbed it Felt a little greedy to me.

Seems like I can’t really get any compensation anywhere, either. I suppose I’ll have to work with him in order to eliminate haze.

Here is the response from @le_4TC

@le_4TC

I’m sorry Maharani, I didn’t intend to be greedy, I just didn’t have much else to do that turn

After Haze and Sanonius are captured, we will share the spoils of the lower right area (together with yebellz and Martin).

[Gia]

What’s NBTO? I know NKOTB and BTOB.

[Vsotvep]

The NBTO is the North-Board Treaty Organisation, an alliance between Piggy, yebellz, Maharani and le_4TC. Interesting, since there has also been talk of an alliance between le_4TC, bugcat / Sanonius and Haze, although that doesn’t seem to be as strong, since it appears that le_4TC is hoping to remove Haze, and Sanonius and Haze are currently in a struggle not to be eliminated next…

See also this kibitz log

[belabacsijolvan]

@Maharani

I see no choice but to turn against Haze. I will play at J8.

I really like this post. He has nothing to lose, Haze has other things to worry about. But it ensures that no one will play the same move and shows openness. At the same time facilitates everyone else to turn on Haze (as most of them were going to anyways). This is his best chance to get some eyes. Great decision, sir!

P.S.:PiggyStardust answered “ok, but why here ” (if I remember correctly), but deleted it. I guess because it communicates insincereness.

[Vsotvep]

Very unlucky turn of events for the Cochineal… I fear this may well be the end of @Sanonius, either next turn or the turn after that.

[Vsotvep]

Just got an intriguing move submission from yebellz, who chose E3 as their move. If I were to guess, they’re planning with Piggy and probably Maharani (who both have not submitted yet) to capture Martin’s T-shape. If not Maharani, I’m sure Sanonius could be convinced to help, since Sanonius has C1 as their first move, with the message that “it’s time to leave the show with a banger”.

Update: turns out yebellz changed their move to H2, and Piggy just submitted moves that are not playing towards capture

[shinuito]

@Vsotvep

Update: turns out yebellz changed their move to H2, and Piggy just submitted moves that are not playing towards capture

Aw, that would be really interesting though! Maybe yebellz is thinking it’s really Piggy who gets the main benefit of it, and long term it could be yebellz vs piggy.

[Vsotvep]

I think yebellz is thinking correctly in that case

[Vsotvep]

The story is in the Kibitz log:

Kibitz logs for Round 16

yebellz

@yebellz

My initial moves for Round 16 were:

1. H2
2. F5
3. J2

However, a couple hours before the deadline, I changed them to:

1. E3
2. H2
3. F5

The plan behind this change was to simultaneously fill C1, D2, and E3 (along with Piggy and Sanonius) to strike a devastating blow against Martin. However, at around the same time that Piggy and I got confirmation from Sanonius that he was on board with this plan, I also got a message from le_4TC showing that Sanonius has leaked at least the general idea of this plan to them.

le_4TC does not want to see Martin eliminated (they say not just at this stage, but I would imagine in general) since that would most likely help give Piggy an unsurmountable lead. Anyways, with le_4TC aware of the plan, we felt it likely that knowledge of such would get back to Martin, who could block it. This overall setback caused Piggy to become a bit cautious about moving forward with something that they perceive as likely to fail and waste a move elsewhere. Their purported plan will be to try B1 again, and I’ve gone back to my original choices.

@yebellz

Howdy, Kibitzers! Below is a message that I just sent in the private discussion with @Sanonius and @PiggyStardust

Ok, I’ve submitted F4, C1, D2 (where F4 is an intentional collision, of course).

To recap, here is the overall plan:
C1, D2, E3
F4, C1, D2
XX, E3, C1

Note: you (@Sanonius) never publicly objected to the emoji nickname that I suggested, but please let me know if you prefer something else.

I hope that everything goes smoothly. I think that it is clearly in Piggy and my best interest to eliminate Martin now. le_4TC has already told us that it would not be in their interest to eliminate Martin later, since that would only give us points.

The only potential slip up is if Sanonius decides to do something else, maybe to try to punish Haze instead, and perhaps out of kindness to le_4TC. However, let me share this message sent by le_4TC a week ago:

@le_4TC

Haze will be eliminated eventually anyways, there is no need to rush it. By not capturing Haze immediately, we will allow Sanonius to become weaker first (for instance if Martin gets in a move like J1). This will benefit all of us who are adjacent to Sanonius.

You see, le_4TC never had any real interest to help you, Sanonius, but was rather plotting for your (Pink’s) ultimate demise. le_4TC’s plan is to remove both Blue and Pink from the board for the sake of their own ambitions.

Taking this shot against Martin, which possibly helps Haze survive, would also be much to the chagrin of le_4TC.

The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Official Lyric Video)

[Vsotvep]

Looks like it was le_4TC being the one who didn’t like the plan.

Sanonius has not submitted a new move yet, so it may be that they’re playing C1 anyways. Combined with Piggy and Martin likely colliding at B1 (since that’s what they submitted) and Martin playing M1 as their second choice, it could be that Piggy and yebellz still have later rounds to capture.

Amusingly, since this means Martin gets M1 (and nobody else tries that move), Sanonius actually sealed their fate by telling le_4TC: if they had kept their silence, Martin would’ve been captured, and Sanonius would start next round with 6 stones and two strong potential allies who could help them capture the rest of Martin to survive.

[Groin]

Well done for +12 and 36 hr next although not sure it will solve.

[Vsotvep]

I feel bad for Martin. Piggy and yebellz could’ve killed them without also painting them as a villain, I don’t see what trust Martin actually broke between them.