I came up with this variant up *in my sleep* last night, and be
forewarned, I haven't actually tried it yet, but now that I think
about it, it seems like it might solve a niggle I have with dots and
boxes, which is that the early game is rather mushy and diffuse-
feeling. Here's the variant:
Let's say that you're playing on a grid that has a total of N boxes up
for grabs. The very first captured box is worth N points, the second
captured box is worth N-1 points, the third captured box is worth N-2,
etc.
The idea here is that players won't be able to play for just the last
move, so the game won't be completely about parity.
Best to play with two differently colored pencils so that you don't
have to write the points *and* the initials in each box. If you try
this, post the results, pretty please. I won't get to try it for a
while, as I am desperately trying to finish my dissertation and so no
time for games. :(
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