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From: manuelp@cs.kun.nl (Manuel Polling)
Subject: Re: Any info available on STRATEGO?
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References: <1995Mar14.142448.23549@levels.unisa.edu.au>
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 1995 14:10:13 GMT
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In <1995Mar14.142448.23549@levels.unisa.edu.au> marwk@levels.unisa.edu.au writes:

>Are there any books/papers/... available on AI strategies for STRATEGO?
8< [cut]

I don't know any books on Stratego, but if it's of any help, here is the 
general strategy for humans to win the game:
1: (tricky carefull part) get an advantage in some ranking, preferably a high
one. For instance get the other ones general or one of his colonels.
2: Trade off all pieces with equal or higher ranking. At this point it does not
really matter anymore if the other one gets an advantage in some lower ranking, 
just do not lose all 'bomb-killers' (in Dutch they are called 'mineur', I don't 
know the English word for them).
3: Finish off all the other pieces at any speed you like.

A note to go with (1): high ranking pieces are generally easily recognizable,
they do not flee easily and usually reveal themselves very quickly by taking 
some piece of you.
A second note: trading off high ranking pieces can start before reaching an
advantage, to prevent an enemy piece of slaughtering your lower ranks.
Third note: the spy is of course the one that can spoil everything, so usually
trading off marshalls (if that is what they are called in English) is a clever
thing to do.

--

	Groeten, Manuel.
