Psellos
Life So Short, the Craft So Long to Learn

The Schnapsen Log

March 12, 2013

A Multitude of Options

Martin Tompa

Back by the roaring fire in the Café Abeles, you’re on to the next deal. Your last desperation play didn’t succeed, as you might have expected. Your good buddy Peter won 2 game points and is now just 1 game point from winning.

Unseen cards:
TQ
J
♣ AKJ

Your cards:
AK
A
♣ TQ

Trump: J
Stock: 1 face-down card
Game points: Peter 1, You 6
Trick points: Peter 20, You 27
On lead: You

There’s no need to lose hope just because you’re this far behind in game points. All it takes to catch up are a few lucky deals. This one is unusual, because all the trumps, except for that one that’s face-up on the table, are already gone.

There seem to be lots of interesting options to consider. Which one looks best to you? When you think you have a good plan, you are welcome to read my analysis.

© 2013 Martin Tompa. All rights reserved.


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About the Author

Martin Tompa

Martin Tompa (tompa@psellos.com)

I am a Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, where I teach discrete mathematics, probability and statistics, design and analysis of algorithms, and other related courses. I have always loved playing games. Games are great tools for learning to think logically and are a wonderful component of happy family or social life.

Read about Winning Schnapsen, the very first and definitive book on the winning strategy for this fascinating game.

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September
Sidestep a Few Landmines, Sep 2
June
Two Last-Trick Problems, Jun 27
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More Extremes of Luck, May 21
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Grasping at Straws, Apr 4
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A New Scheme for Remembering Cards, Mar 23
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As Luck Would Have It, Sep 9

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