The last event of The Jamzu Daily Double 2 series on Touch Arcade was the open round of the Thursday Triple Twist. Several players had entered moves via PM in the first round, but no one had gotten all three positions correct. The Triple Twist turned out to be an epic battle between the two top players from the JDD 2 series, TheSporkWithin and Khamous. Each had won two contests in the JDD 2.
POSITION ONE Red to move with a six.
POSITION TWO Red to move with a six.
POSITION THREE Red to move with a five.
After PM’ing the players with their results from round one, I started the open round. Both players now knew they had the correct answers for positions one and two. The final contest would be over position three, the toughest position of the Triple Twist.
Spork and Khamous both came back lightning fast with identical guesses for their next shots, with Spork’s PM coming just seconds ahead of Khamous! But both made the same wrong guess for position three, trying H4-G3.
I PM’d the results again. This time, Khamous came back first with the next shot. He *almost* had the correct move, guessing H4-E7. About 20 seconds later, Spork landed his killer blow, taking the longest possible move with the H4 jammer, and nailing H4-C7!
TheSporkWithin took First Place in the Triple Twist, in what couldn’t have been a closer or more hard fought battle with Khamous. Super congrats, Spork!
Spork won a $25 iTunes Gift Card for his First Place finish.
From all the initial entries in the first round of the Triple Twist, only Kevd had actually spotted the correct H4-C7 for position three, along with his other correct guess for position one.
For the Second Place prize, the entries were selected from the remaining players who had submitted at least two out of three moves correct in the first round: Kevd, haffertee, and cathy. Cathy won the drawing, and took the Second Place prize of a $15 iTunes Gift Card. Congrats, cathy!
Thanks to everyone who participated in the incredibly exciting Jamzu Daily Double 2 series! We’re looking forward to running the JDD 3, probably starting around May 22! Stay tuned for more details.
Cheers,
~Doug
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Analysis of the Thursday Triple Twist best moves:
Position One
Best Move: E6-A6
- Unblocks Red and blocks Blue. (total block switch)
- Fully opens lane 6 for Red for a maximum long move.
- Stops Blue in lane 6 from scoring.
Other Move:
C3-E5
- Partial block switch.
- Unblocks runner that’s furthest behind.
- But doesn’t open any lanes for Red.
- Can do this kind of move against Blue in lane 5 later easily.
Position Two
Best Move: G2-C6
- Total block switch.
- Starts unblocking Red’s most vulnerable runner.
- Red can continue, in next moves while he controls lane 2, to attack Blue with the E2 and B2 jammers.
- Stops blue from scoring in lane 6.
Other Move:
B5-H5
- Opens Red for a max run in lane 5.
- Blocks Blue in more tightly on the starting position in lane 5.
- But leaves open Blue for a score in lane 6.
- Also does not help Blue’s most vulnerable runner at A2, which is quickly becoming trapped. If Blue further attacks Red in lane 2 with the I3 and I5 jammers, Red could be in very serious early trouble here. B5-H5 is a strong move, but G2-C6 is overall better right now.
Position Three
Best Move: H4-C7
- Total block switch.
- Opens Red in lane 4 for the longest possible run and even a score.
- Red’s runner in lane 4 is also most vulnerable to a counterattack by Blue from the D7 jammer, so giving him a chance to escape now is best.
- Clears the H4 jammer as far away from Red’s runners as possible. Blue can’t easily flip the jammer back again to attack Red.
Other Moves:
H4-G3
- Total block switch, also opens lane 4.
- But leaves jammer on G3 in place to harass Red on lanes 2, 4, 6 or 7.
- Makes it harder to clear H2 jammer out of the way in lane 2. Red could use H2 to attack Blue in lanes 3 or 7, but only if G3 is clear.
H4-C3
- Very similar to, and probably equal to H4-C7. Possibly slightly better.
H2-G3
- Total block switch.
- But doesn’t open runner in lane 4 for escape and max possible run.
- Jammer on G3 can be used against Red again in lanes 4, 6 or 7.
- Better to do H4-C7 or H4-C3 first, and then this if you have the chance.
H2-C3
- Total block switch.
- Probably even better than H2-G3 in that is gets the jammer further away from harassing Red.
- But doesn’t open runner in lane 4 for escape and max possible run.
The fifth and final day of The Jamzu Daily Double 2 series on Touch Arcade brought a rare Daily Double where not a single player got even one move correct in the first round. This is the first time that’s happened in the JDD competitions!
POSITION ONE Red to move with a three.
POSITION TWO Red to move with a six.
The tricky element with these two positions was the fact they both had moves that were good, and very close, to the best. After sending out PMs that all said the same thing (”none correct”), I wondered if we’d have a contest that would go all the way to the third round. Only a couple of minutes after I gave the GO! for round two, Khamous put that idea instantly to rest, with the correct answers for both positions! Congrats, Khamous on a second win in the JDD 2 series!
With two wins apiece for TheSporkWithin and Khamous, we now had the open round of the Triple Twist coming in just half an hour. Would there be a tie-breaker win between these two players for the final victory of the JDD 2 series? I had no idea what an insanely close battle was about to commence!
A $15 iTunes Gift Card was given away to each day’s winner! New players can join at any time.
Cheers,
~Doug
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Analysis of Sunday’s best moves:
Position One
Best Move: B3-E2
- Unblocks Red and Blue, blocks Blue (partial block switch)
- Stops Blue from scoring in wide open lane 2.
- Opens lane 3 for Red, while also giving Red a shot at the jump in lane 3 if Blue does not score on his next turn.
- Allows the Red runner in lane 3 a chance to escape before Blue starts trapping him with moves like I4-H3, I5-G3, etc.
- Yes, this move does allow the Blue runner in lane 3 to score. But if you don’t block lane 2, you’re allowing that runner to score anyways. Allowing Blue off in lane 3 now is fine, as this lane is only going to become a liability for Red if he leaves the runner on A3. Use the roll of 3 to both stop Blue in another lane, open your runner’s lane, and prevent longer-term damage where Blue would otherwise try to trap you.
Other Moves:
B5-E6
- Similar to B3-E2, with partial block switch, and opens lane 5 for Red (but not fully!)
- Does not stop a potential attack on A3 by Blue.
B3-E6
- Similar to B3-E2, with partial block switch, and benefit of allowing Red to move his A3 runner before it gets trapped.
- But doesn’t have the benefits of stopping Blue in lane 2.
B7-E6
- Unblocks Red and Blue, blocks Blue (partial block switch)
- Opens Red for a long run in lane 7.
- But doesn’t have any of the other benefits of B3-E2.
Position Two
Best Move: D6-B6
- Opens Red runner while keeping the block on Blue in the same lane.
- Takes control of lane 6 for Red, preventing any damage from the jammers at C3 or E3.
- By keeping the block on Blue in lane 6, you don’t open Blue for his longest possible run in lane 6, which could include a jump!
Other Moves:
D6-B4
- Does block Blue’s C4 runner from scoring, and does take control of lane 6 for Red.
- But does allow Blue both a shot at long run, with a score and a jump, in lane 6. This would allow Blue a chance to get way ahead in the race, which right now is very even.
For Day 4, The Jamzu Daily Double 2 on Touch Arcade featured two positions with rolls of 4, and two jammer moves as the correct answers.
POSITION ONE Red to move with a four.
POSITION TWO Red to move with a four.
Khamous was up first with his guess, but missed on both boards, going for the deceptively appealing F2 run in position two. cathy struck just a minute later, with the right move for position two, I7-E5! There was a two minute pause, and then TheSporkWithin came into the game, striking gold with the best move for both positions! C6-A2 was the correct answer for position one. Congrats, Spork!
After the contest was over, Spork said “Nice, my 5 minute bathroom break tactic paid off!” and revealed that the only way he was able to play was by excusing himself for a moment from a family event to enter the contest by playing from his phone! An extra bonus point to Spork for pulling off this tricky maneuver to win the contest.
Khamous and I got into a lengthy discussion of the merits of C6-A2 vs B6-D6, but I’ll leave the analysis below as the final word for now!
A $15 iTunes Gift Card was given away to each day’s winner! New players are welcome to join at any time.
Cheers,
~Doug
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Analysis of Saturday’s best moves:
Position One
Best Move: C6-A2
- Unblocks Red and Blue and blocks blue. (partial block switch)
- Helps unblock Red’s vulnerable runner in lane 6.
- Takes control of lane 6, allowing another potential move where Red could both free himself while counter-attacking Blue in lane 3.
- Keeps Red ahead in the block count, 4-2.
- The Blue runner on E6 is a good as gone. Blue weaknesses are his lane 2 and 3 runners. Red’s C6-A2 attacks those weaknesses while simultaneously improving both his position and advantages.
Other Moves:
B6-D6
- This does give Red control of lane 6, and stops Blue from moving to D6.
- But does nothing to ultimately help Red get free.
- Red is going to have to get the B6 and C6 jammers out of the way. Moving B6-D6 like this does not really get Red anywhere, and wastes a valuable tempo.
- Red needs to get out of his trap in the way that maintains or improves his advantages. C6-A2 both helps Red free himself, and increases his advantage in blocks.
Position Two
Best Move: I7-E5
- Unblocks Red and blocks Blue. (total block switch)
- Blocks Blue in his wide open lane 5.
- Opens Red in lane 7 for a move off.
Other Moves:
F2
- Does get a runner off
- But not necessary now. F2 is in no danger of being blocked, and can move forward later.
E6-A6
- Partial block switch.
- Not good timing for this move.
- With this move, Blue now has a good shot at jumping Red in lane 6
The third day of The Jamzu Daily Double 2 on Touch Arcade featured two incredibly wicked positions, and a real battle that went into the second round. (The second day of the JDD 2 was the Thursday Triple Twist, which concluded on Sunday.)
POSITION ONE Red to move with a six.
POSITION TWO Red to move with a one.
Khamous was first to strike, with cathy and haffertee coming in with guesses right behind. But none of these players had posted a correct move. A couple more minutes passed, and then TheSporkWithin finally struck, nailing the tough-to-see move in position one, with G6-I4! Khamous posted that he thought Spork had won it with this guess, but I don’t think any of the players yet suspected what was hidden in the ultra-devious position two. When I waited a couple more minutes to call round one, everyone caught on that the right move for position two had not yet been posted, and the suspense got very intense for the start of round two!
Finally, after sending out the PMs, I gave the GO! for round two, and Khamous and Spork both posted almost instantly with the correct answer for both moves, with Khamous edging out Spork by a microsecond with the correct guess of F3 for position two. These two posts were so close, and the reason for F3 was so important, that I made a quick decision to have a tie-breaker for the day’s contest to make sure luck wasn’t the deciding factor. I asked both Khamous and Spork to PM their reasons for F3 in position two.
After the first PMs were in, it was clear that Khamous had absolutely nailed the best reason for F3 (see analysis below) and Khamous was crowned the winner for Day 3! Khamous’ perfect logic for F3, which he was able to write quickly under the intense pressure of the PM tie-breaker, was posted in the thread for all to see.
Super congrats, Khamous, on a killer win!
A $15 iTunes Gift Card was given away to each day’s winner! New players are welcome to join the Jamzu Daily Double any time.
Cheers,
~Doug
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Analysis of Friday’s best moves:
Position One
Best Move: G6-I4
- Unblocks Red and blocks Blue and Red. (partial block switch)
- Blocks Blue where he currently has a wide open lane, preventing a potentially long run by Blue.
- Takes control of lane 6. Red could then continue to free his lane 6 runner with a move like B6-C5. Or he could keep attacking Blue in lane 4, with something like I7-H4.
Other Moves:
G6-G4, D2-H4, G2-G4
- These are all good moves in different ways that are very similar to the best move, but missing the best possible way to block Blue at I4, and the really nice block switch that G6-I4 provides.
Position Two
Best Move: F3
- A critical defensive move by Red! This prevents D4-G3, D4-H4, D4-I5 or D4-J6 by Blue. Any of these moves would be a total block switch by Blue, hurting Red in blocks where he is already behind.
- Allows the G4 jammer to potentially be moved by Red later to both open lane 4 and possibly attack Blue with G4-A4 (if B3 is out of the way)
- Really the only move the helps Red at all, but it helps tremendously by blocking a potentially killer move by Blue.
Other Moves:
G2, D5 and G6 (all runner moves)
- G2 is actually dangerous for Red, allowing the moves C4-H3 or C4-I4 by Blue, both total block switches.
- D5 and G6 don’t have any advantages like F3.
The first day of The Jamzu Daily Double 2 on Touch Arcade featured two positions with tricky jammer moves, two players with lightning fast correct answers, and a new winner in the JDD series!
POSITION ONE Red to move with a five.
POSITION TWO Red to move with a five.
TheSporkWithin, taking a brief moment away from World of Warcraft, came in blindingly fast, and first, with both correct moves! B6-C3 for position one, and H3-C4 for position two. Big congrats to TheSporkWithin! Just a step behind, seang also had the right moves for both positions. I was shocked at how fast these two players had gotten these moves, with the move in position one, I think, being especially hard to spot. Khamous, the Champ from the previous two contests, came in with the first answer, but only one correct move at H3-C4. Haffertee also came in with both correct moves in the first round, and just a couple of minutes after Spork’s winning guess.
The first days of the Jamzu Daily Double 2 was fantastic, with a new winner, and the players showing extremely sharp skills in an intense and fast contest.
The positions for the Thursday Triple Twist have been posted! Good luck to all the players!
A $15 iTunes Gift Card will be given away to each day’s winner! New players can join at any time.
Cheers,
~Doug
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Analysis of Wednesday’s best moves:
Position One
Best Move: B6-C3
- Unblocks Red and blocks Blue. (total block switch)
- Creates a completely open lane for a good run.
- Takes control of lane 6 to allow Red’s most vulnerable runner a chance to escape before it gets further blocked.
Other Moves:
B4-C3
- Unblocks both Red and Blue, blocks Blue. (partial block switch)
- Doesn’t allow for a run of more than 4.
- Allows Blue to attack lane 6 with something like F4-D6.
Position Two
Best Move: H3-C4
- Unblocks Red and blocks Blue. (total block switch)
- Good way to block Blue in open lane 4
- Red is behind in blocks, but ahead in the race. This move puts Red ahead in the block score.
Other Moves:
Either G4 or G6
- Does remove a runner
- But Red is well ahead in the race, and neither of these runners is in any danger of being blocked, so no need to do these moves now.
POSITION ONE Red to move with a six.
BEST MOVE: H7-F5 (Khamous, Kevd)
- Unblocks and controls lane 7 for a potential good runner move off.
- Adds a block to Blue in lane 5.
- Blue’s blocks in lane five cannot be flipped back to Red, especially if G7 runner is off.
- Red’s blocks in lane 2 and 3 can still be used in upcoming moves to attack Blue in lane 6.
- With H7 out of the way, Red also has the chance, with a roll of 4 or 5, to open lane 6 by swinging the I6 jammer around to block Blue on E6 or D5. This would almost certainly mean the end for Blue.
OTHER GOOD MOVES: I2-G6, I2-E6 (haffertee, Ossamu, CzarCastic, TheSporkWithin, Ahiru)
- This does unblock Red and block Blue.
- But does not provide an open lane if Red gets a high roll.
- If Red moves a jammer to G6, this block could easily be flipped by Blue to counterattack Red in lane 2, 3 or 7.
- A jammer at G6 decreases Red’s options for the jammer at H7.
- Of these two, I2-E6 is better.
This is one of the most challenging positions, partly because the best move may be difficult to see.
Red is ahead in the race both in squares and runners off, but behind in blocks. So we want to find something that will help Red in blocks. Both I2-G6 and H7-F5 help Red with blocks. H7-F5 however, allows you to control lane 7 for a good runner move, where otherwise Blue is certain to try and block using the jammer at I6 on any odd roll in the next move.
If G7 runner moves forward at least 3 or more on the next roll, that runner is either off or safe. If Blue tries to free himself by moving I6 out of the way, then H6 runner can easily move off also, strengthening Red’s lead.
With H7-F5, Red and Blue both have 4 blocks to deal with, but Red is overall better positioned to win the race and continue to counterattack.
Note: H7-D5 may be as good a move here as H7-F5, as this move may make it a bit harder to flip the block back to Red. But we see H7-F5 as the overall best.
POSITION TWO Red to move with a five.
BEST MOVE: F4-E7 (Nobody got this one!  )
- Perfect time to begin unblocking Red’s most vulnerable runner while attacking Blue.
- While unblocking in a series of moves you can attack Blue at his most vulnerable runners in lanes 6 and 7.
- By unblocking with F4 first instead of B4, you are set up for a potential maximum long move when you do get B4 out of the way.
- Moving F4-E7 allows the jammer in G3 to be free to potentially block blue in lanes 5, 6 or 7 on a future turn.
- As part of the unblocking series of moves for lane 4, B4 jammer can also potentially be used to block in lanes 5, 6, or 7.
- F4-E7 is a “one way block.” It is impossible for Blue to flip that block back in front of Red on F4 again.
- Given the position, it will be also be nearly impossible for Blue to use the E7 jammer in the future to block Red anywhere else.
OTHER GOOD MOVES:
B4-C5 (Kevd, Ahiru)
- This move definitely has the right idea as in F4-E7, but the wrong jammer.
- It does stop Blue in lane 5.
- But if you unblock with B4 first, you give Blue an unnecessarily early chance to escape in lane 4, and you would more likely lose the chance to jump him there.
- This is really a quesion of timing. The F4 jammer should be moved first, then B4 in a following move.
F3-E2 (haffertee, Khamous, Ossamu, CzarCastic, cathy, TheSporkWithin)
- Does stop Blue from making a potential big advance in lane 2 on his next roll.
- Does unblock Red and block Blue.
- Does not unblock the more vulnerable runner.
- Using the F3 jammer at later point in game to attack blue in 5, 6 or 7 would be more effective.
- Blue can easily flip a block at E2 right back to Red in several places: Either at F3 again, or G4, C4 or even H5 when Red clears that block.
OK, I admit it, this postion was tough and tricky almost to the point of being sadistic. Certainly the toughest one of the contest. Nobody mentioned it as a possible move in their analysis, so I’m thinking that no one even saw it! Definitely Kevd and Ahiru came the closest with B4-C5. They had the right idea.
The best move in this position is all about timing. Red has established a decent lead in squares, and now he can even the blocks and help his position by going for the kill with a strong attack on Blue in lanes 5, 6 and 7. If he hesitates with trying to free his runner in lane 4, he is leaving himself vulnerable for too long and missing a great opportunity.
F3-E2 is really a tempting mirage. Although it looks good to block Blue here, this is likely to be a very temporary gain, and could easily be used against Red later. Better to let Blue go here (if he gets a high roll) and concentrate on hurting him in lanes 5, 6 and 7 while helping yourself.
POSITION THREE Red to move with a four. Even though it looks tough for Red here, Red actually won this game.
BEST MOVE: I5-E3 (Khamous, Ossamu, CzarCastic, TheSporkWithin, Ahiru)
- This unblocks Red and blocks Blue.
- Starts a series of moves to clear and control of lane 5.
- This is by far the best use of a four here. You will need to unblock the jammers in I5 and J5, and if you have the chance to do this while also blocking blue, take it!
- This move holds Blue at F3, for the potential miracle roll of a 6 by Red and the following move of J5-D3.
- The jammers at B5 and C5 can be used in multiple other ways to attack block Blue. Using a four for this purpose not necessary here.
OTHER DECENT MOVE: B5-D3 (haffertee, Kevd, cathy)
- This move does block Blue in lane 3 and unblocks Red in lane 5, but also unblocks Blue in lane 5 too early.
- Using the jammers in B5 and C5 to block Blue right now is not critical, as there will be many potential rolls that could be used with these jammers on future moves.
- This move would prevent the future miracle move J5-D3, possibly wasting a roll of 6 for Red.
Red is in a bit of a pinch here. He’s ahead in squares, but behind in blocks and sitting with two runners very vulnerable on the starting squares. From here on out, it was a heavy battle for Red to save his life. But the move I5-E3 was critical. This kept control of lane 5 for Red, preventing more damage here, and Red was able to use a subsequent roll of 6 to move J5-D3. Red also followed with multiple attacks on Blue with the jammers at B5, C5, B7 and D7. After a very big tussle, Red managed to free himself and get across for the eventual win.
POSITION FOUR Red to move with a four.
BEST MOVE: A4-F4 (haffertee, mel)
- Gets the lane 4 runner off the opening square.
- Gets the jump on Blue for an extra square.
- Maintains Red’s lead in the race.
- Red is not in any big trouble right now anywhere else, so take advantage of a good roll and get the jump on Blue to move a runner forward.
- After this move, jammers at B2, I3, and F7 can all be used to attack Blue in multiple ways, so there is no hurry to use them with this move.
- It’s fairly likely you could still block Blue in either lane 3 or 4 later with B2 or E7, so letting one go now is not a big deal, especially as Red has a decent lead in the race.
- Leaving Blue on the starting square in lane 4 is risky if Blue gets a 1 or a 3, where he could move C5-B4, blocking Red in lane 4 for more potential attacks later.
OTHER GOOD MOVES:
F7-B3 (Khamous, Kevd, CzarCastic, cathy, TheSporkWithin, Ahiru)
- Does unblock Red and block Blue
- But the timing of this move is not critical right now. Red’s blocks in lane 7 can be moved to block Blue in lanes 3, 4, 5 or 6 probably several ways in the future, so no hurry to do this just yet when you can get a runner off the start in a good way instead.
B2-F6 (Ossamu)
- Does unblock Red and block Blue from a potential long run in lane 6
- But this frees the Blue runner in lane 2 for a potentially long run and score too early.
- Better to wait a bit with this until lane 4 runner is advanced, then go after Blue with B2 in lanes 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 later.
This was the only runner move in the contest. Red is working with a fairly open position here. Blue is also rather open, but verging into trouble in lane 5 and possibly lane 6 if he doesn’t get moving.
So Red’s best strategy is to maintain his lead in squares while removing a potential vulnerability in lane 4. Then go after Blue with the multiple jammers he can use for counterattack blocks. The timing of moves here is the important thing. Take care of a potential weak spot while you have breathing room and a good roll, and then attack when you are in a safer position.
POSITION FIVE Red to move with a three.
BEST MOVE: G4-D7 (Khamous, Ossamu, Kevd, CzarCastic, cathy, Ahiru)
- Unblocks Red and blocks Blue
- Opens a nice path in lane 4 for a potential high roll on Red’s next move. A big run by Red now would likely seal Blue’s fate.
- Red is already ahead both in squares and blocks. Adding this new block to Blue only increases his advantage at no cost to Red.
- There is no particular hurry to score with H3. H3 is very slightly vulnerable to a desperation attack from Blue with I2, but this is unlikely in the next few moves where Blue is going to be more preoccupied with trying to unbury all those blocks.
OTHER DECENT MOVE: H3 (haffertee, TheSporkWithin, mel)
- Scoring now is a somewhat reasonable move, but not necessary just yet when G4-D7 is much more of a knock-out move against Blue.
In an end game position like this where you have an advantage, it is always the best idea to increase your advantage with a strong move if you can. If the die rolls suddenly went really bad for Red here and really good for Blue, Blue would still have to overcome a larger deficit in blocks because of G4-D7.
Never, ever let up in an end game in Jamzu! With a twisted streak of bad luck, you can suddenly be quite surprised by what you are facing!
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