Talk:Novakovich gambit

This article was created with the following information. This appears to be fanon or non-canon, but if any of this can actually be derived from the episode, please re-add it. --From Andoria with Love 04:23, 12 September 2007 (UTC)


 * The Novakovich Gambit is a complex move in Star Trek Voyager's "Derada" which is a copy of the game Quarto. In Quarto, the objective of the game is to create a set of four in a line (diagonal, vertical or horizontal) of like pieces. The pieces come in sets of 16 including two opposite colours (typically red & black), two different sizes (tall & small), two different shapes (block & cylindrical) and either having a hole in the top or not. The curve ball is that when it is your turn to place a piece in any of the 4x4 placements, your opponent must choose which piece for you to place, making tactics harder. The Novakovich Gambit is a move where on the 4x4 board, there is a small, cylindrical, holed, black piece on the top left placement. In the 3rd from the left top left placement is a tall, cylindrical, holed, red piece. On the top right placement, there is a small, cubed, solid, black piece. On the bottom left placement there is a small, cubed, holed red piece. On the bottom right placement there is a small, cubed, solid, red piece. In this particular game, Tom Paris started placing and B'Elanna Torres gave him the first piece. Since the objective in this game is to create a pattern of four like pieces, Tom Paris has set it up to trick B'Elanna into placing a small, cylindrical, solid, black piece in the Second from the bottom row, Third from the left column placement. He knows she will do this because she see's that if she places it in the far left column, Paris can win very easily the next turn by placing any small piece. She also notices that this piece doesnt do any good when placed either on the top row, second from the left spot, or anywhere else. She will see the best way to 'disgard' the piece she can't use is to put it diagonally up from the bottom right corner. However, once she does this, Tom has the opportunity to place either a small piece on the diagonal plane and immediately win or to force her in a later move to place a cylindrical piece on the third from the left column. Most tactical moves in this game are hard to grasp, especially when having to think many moves ahead without having the luxury of knowing what piece you will get.