I am fairly new to hex. I've been trying to learn tactics by working through various edge templates. I've been trying to learn strategy by playing humans here and playing against various computer programs on small boards. I started by playing against the computer on a 7x7 board and starting in the centre and not allowing swap, to check I could win. Then I moved on to playing on 8x8 where already I make the occasional slip in the opening, even playing first without swap. Here's a game I just lost. In my mind we're still in the opening so this is a strategical problem.

link to trmph [www.trmph.com]

I am black and I started (no swap). Black is currently winning, but I played a losing move. I am interested to know whether a strong human player can just take one look at this position and will know instantly what to play. I am nowhere near being able to do this, at this point. I guess I am trying to establish basically whether top players can intuitively play 8x8 hex essentially perfectly.

Meh, I still don't quite understand how forum postings work. Here's another attempt at a direct link to trmph:

link to trmph [www.trmph.com]

my instant reaction is “g3 or d4, lets check”

My first guess was d4, which seems wrong. g3 seems to work, but it required checking on trmph.

Arek and shalev: thank you both very much for responding! I played d4, which was indeed met with e6 and this line is winning for white. But g3 does not leap out at me – is the point that it is some sort of minimax move (I don't really even know what this means) which strengthens the connection to the top and the bottom? You're both right – g3 is a winning move.