19x19 Hex

I know a lot of game requests come through here, but would anyone like to see 19 x 19 Hex?

It would be quite a brain workout, but then, that's why we play these games isn't it?

Just a suggestion =)

it would be looong game:)

Actually, it would be shorter and less invovled than 19x19 go. I think a 25x25 hx game would be about as long and about as 'strategic' (as opposed to and in addition to 'tactical') as a 19x19 game of go.

Certainly Hex has in general fewer choices to make on your move than Go does, and less of the board usually gets filled up, but 19x19 would still make a very deep and challenging Hex game. Intuition would play a large role in the opening, just as in Go. There would be more room for grand schemes. There is a thread on this topic in the Hex forum.

I certainly like the idea of larger hex boards, but I can't seem to find the thread in the hex forum. Which is it?

It's on page 2 in the Hex forum, subject "19x19 Hex?" and the last post to it was February 10 as of this writing.

If you make the assumption that the average length of a Hex game will be proportional to the area of the board (number of hexes), then a 19x19 game should on average take about 2.1 times as long as a 13x13 game. A very unscientific sample of 50 13x13 games, the first 5 monthly tournaments in April, average out at about 40 moves per game with a high value of 82 and a low value of 10. Excluding games that lasted 0 or 1 moves, my own completed games average between 36 and 37 moves with a max of 67 and a min of 8. So, a 19x19 game might take on average 85 moves to finish, and might take as much as 175 moves, but beyond that would probably be rare. Yeah, that's a long game, but not bad compared to 19x19 Go, as Dvd said.

A 25x25 grid, on the other hand, using the same assumptions, would probably average about 145 to 150 moves per game, and maybe over 300 moves on rare occasion. I recommend we try 19x19 first. :-)

I would love to see 19x19 hex here. I introduced Hex to many of my go teachers over the past 41 years.

I had been champion of a Hex club at Ohio State a round 1962. Then my first go teacher, Minoru Tazima, after losing one 11x11 Hex game to me, won 10 in a row with me going first. He suggested 19x19 Hex, I made a board. He spotted me a 3 stone handicap, I lost every game.

Later several 5 and 6 dan go players in Berkeley could spot me 2 or 3 stones at 19x19 Hex.

I predict that 19x19 Hex at LittleGolem will atract some very remarkable people. __ Herb

I believe playsite has 18x18, or somewhere near that... but it's an entirely different situation to play here.A larger game would be a great addition, and a nice attraction to the people who believe hex to be not complex enough.

bump