World
Game
Of
Sprouts
Association

Match of Titans Concluded

As happened long ago in chess, the best human sprouts player in the world (by far) has lost a grimly serious match to a computer. This was a six-game match contested two games per round. Play was by email at 48 hours per move. The games, which no doubt will studied for years, were as follows.

27- (Jordan+Aunt Beast - Khorkov*, 2011 Clash of the Titans Game 1) 1(28)2 1(29)1[2,3] 4(30)29 4(31)4[5-20] 5(32)5[6-9] 5(33)32[6] 10(34)11 30(35)31[21,22] 23(36)24 21(37)35 10(38)10[11] 12(39)12[13] 23(40)23[25] 26(41)26 14(42)15 14(43)14[16-20] 16(44)16[43] 17(45)17[18,19] 18(46)19 26(47)41 21(48)21[22] 2(49)2[3] 12(50@13)39 18(51)19 17(52)18 20(53)20[45] 16(54@20)44 I

22- (Khorkov - Jordan+Aunt Beast*, 2011 Clash of the Titans Game 2) 1(23)1[2-10] 1(24)23[11-14] 11(25)24 2(26)2 2(27)26[3] 15(28)16 15(29)16[17-19] 15(30)17 16(31)20 11(32)11[12] 20(33)31[21,22] 29(34)30[28] 17(35)17[18,19] 21(36)22 18(37)19 18(38)19 19(39@35)38 20(40)36 18(41)37[39] 4(42)4[5-8] 4(43)42[5] 3(44)3 3(45)27 9(46)9 9(47@10)46 21(48)22 21(49@33)48 40(50)49[22] II

28- (Khorkov - Jordan+Aunt Beast*, 2011 Clash of the Titans Game 3) 1(29)1[2-4] 5(30)6 1(31)29[5-7] 8(32)8[9-17] 8(33)32[9-11] 18(34)19 18(35)18[21-28] 34(36)35[19,20] 31(37)36 21(38)22 26(39)26[21-25] 12(40)12 14(41)14[12,13] 14(42)41[33] 26(43)39[23-25] I

27- (Khorkov* - Jordan+Aunt Beast, 2011 Clash of the Titans Game 4) 1(28)2 1(29)1[2-3] 4(30)29 4(31)4[5-8] 2(32)2 30(33)31[9-14] 15(34)15[16-27] 16(35)16[17-22] 15(36)34[23-27] 23(37)36 23(38)23[24-25] 9(39)10 5(40)6 9(41)39[10,11] 5(42)6[7] 9(43)41[10] 24(44)38 24(45)24[25] 16(46)35[17,18] 19(47)19[46] II

27- (Khorkov* - Jordan+Aunt Beast, 2011 Clash of the Titans Game 5) 1(28)2 1(29)1[2-3] 4(30)29 4(31)4[5-8] 2(32)2 30(33)31[9-14] 15(34)15[16-27] 16(35)16[17-22] 15(36)34[23,24] 23(37)36 5(38)6 9(39)10 11(40)11[33] 9(41)10 9(42)10[41,12-14] 17(43)18 17(44)17[18,19] 16(45)25 25(46)45[26] 12(47)13 II

33- (Jordan+Aunt Beast* - Khorkov, 2011 Clash of the Titans Game 6) 1(34)1[2-9] 1(35)34[10-16] 17(36)17[18-26] 17(37)36[18] 27(38)35 27(39)27[28,29] 19(40)19[20-22] 19(41)40[20] 10(42)11 12(43)12[10,11,13,14] 13(44)14 10(45)10[11] 13(46)13[45] 45(47)46 2(48)3 7(49)7[2-6] 22(50)22[21] 7(51)49[2] 28(52)29 15(53)16 28(54)28 29(55)39 II

The match actually concluded on April 9. The slow reportage was involuntary (due to the frailty of this reporter), pointing up the need for our association to make the next evolutionary steps, whatever those should be. The results of this match perhaps require the same conclusion. Roman obviously took this match extremely seriously but lost nevertheless. Sprouts seems to be near or perhaps past that inevitable tipping point that so many other games have reached, Go being still the notable exception. Sprouts is a lovely game, an amazing game. But if sprouts culture is to continue to flourish it needs, arguably, a robust federation to underpin an international network of face-to-face human play. But how to get there from here?

Congratulations to Josh Jordan for defeating our redoubtable world champion! And thanks to Roman Khorkov for his wonderfully skillful and courageous display even in defeat!

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