Hey all.
Has anyone tried the game einstein but where you can move any stone (not having to roll a die)?

Does anyone know if player one or two has a winning strategy?

If you do want to differentiate the stones you could try the following:
You may move any stone whose name you have not listed. When you move a stone, you put its name on a list. If no moves are available to you (because all names are on the list) you clear all names off it first.

Wouldn't you have picked this idea from my Super-EWN variant? ;)

Yes I think for your first game (where you move any stone) it is a first player win.

1 2 6 . .
3 4 . . .
5 . . . 2
. . . 1 4
. . 3 5 6

I move 1.2e3d3

1 2 6 . .
3 4 . . .
5 . . 2 .
. . . 1 4
. . 3 5 6

… but I guess Breakthrough players should know better.

Yes I considered it because of the super tic tac toe thread

So let's try a game, I'm not sure anymore it is a first player win, as zugzwangs are a huge part of the tree…

To post a position just issue a before the board with a before black pawns.

I invented this variant about 4 years ago (while in Finland). After playing it with Anna a few times it was clear it was not as interesting as the normal game.

A better variant I came up with was the concept of having an extra number to the side, and rather than having to use the roll, you could use the extra number instead, and the roll would be put to the side. Sub variants included (a) shared extra dice, or individual ones; (b) having the extra die be hidden (which makes more sense in the individual scenario, but can be made to work in the shared one too.

I also came up with another breakthrough/EWN hybrid, but it will take a while for Anna and I to recreate the rules of those, as I never wrote them down.