The Sage - A SiamMandalay Magazine Issue 06

A Si am Man d a l ay Mag a z i n e

Issue 06 Janu ar y-June 2017

sage The

Editor Firstly, everyone at SiamMandalay would like to say a huge thank you for your support of us in our inaugural edition of The Sage.

We are all excited about this journey and although it may be a winding road, we are working hard to provide all puzzles fans (yes that’s you) a quarterly print or download with the very latest on all things puzzles.

We have created The Sage Magazine with the premise of spreading our love of puzzles as far as we can and allowing you, the reader, to share and participate. In pursuit of this, we invite and encourage all of you to become active with your own input; articles, images, ideas, feedback or suggestions.

SiamMandalay believe in a policy of sharing knowledge and experiences, we hope that you’ll join us on this journey and share yours.

Thank you,

The SiamMandalay Team

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Contents

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BEST WOODEN PUZZLES FOR ADULTS: STRATEGY GAMES

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HOW TO PLAY CHINESE CHECKERS

FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS COME GREAT THINGS: SIAMMANDALAY TURNS 20.

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4 Photo by Alena Darmel from Pexels

BEST WOODEN PUZZLES FOR ADULTS:

STRATEGY GAMES - Sean Allan -

You’re probably looking for a gift for your Uncle or Father and came across this page looking to solve your gifting woes. Well…. you’re in luck we’re about to give you the ultimate breakdown on the best wooden puzzles and games for adults to help you be a better gift giver.

Today we are going to deal with strategy games for adults – no kids play here. There is simply no one size fits all it depends on what your recipient likes. Some play for the fun, the competition, the smarts or a mixture of all.

Picking the perfect puzzle for your Father can be broken down in too many parts, but it really depends on what they are into. Today, we’re taking on strategy games – the oldest form of game there is.

STRATEGY GAMES FOR ADULTS: There is an ancient aesthetic to classic strategy games, dusty slate and mahogany boards handed down through the ages, mastered by the great minds of the era. Invariably masculine games of cunning and war.

Think, plan and execute. Strategy is a mental art.

What will your strategy be? What will he do next?

What does he think that I think he will do? You get the picture.

For the light player, there is nothing quite like a strategy game, a game for the ages, a game to test the mental mettle of everyone who has played. Some of which have literally dated back millennia so you are doing some history shaking magic when you unlock their gifts.

Strategy games are known to be good for smarts and laughs. Most of us have the played the staple classics, Chess, Draughts & Backgammon, but if you are feeling extra adventurous check out an eclectic range of Asian based games, like Xiang Qi, Go and Battlefield.

Why are they so fun? Most of us played Age of Empires, Civilization, Command and Conquer or at least Lemmings during our lives. Strategy is the appeal of thinking, planning ahead and making decisions.

When you combine this with the excitement of fastpaced action you’re going to have a ton of fun. They are so addictive as they challenge the brain to solve problems and achieve goals but you will very rarely reach perfection, just a little bit better.

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CHESS Chess is probably the most famous game every invented and there is a bunch of reasons why it’s been so popular.

People have been playing chess for near 1500 years, making it one of the oldest games in existence, with the exception of backgammon and checkers.

CHINESE CHECKERS Chinese Checkers: despite its name, is not actually Chinese – but everything that is named Chinese seems a little bit more exotic. It’s actually of German origin, so you know it’s well thought through and is natively known as Star Halma or Halma, and should not be confused with Xiang Qi which is Chinese Chess.

Chinese checkers can be played by 2-4 or 6 players, 5 players cannot play as they would lack an opponent playing opposite them. The aim is to race all one’s pieces into the star corner opposite. Every player has 10 pieces; all pieces remain in play for the duration of the game.

Originating from India in the 6th century AD known as Chaturanga, which means the 4 divisions: infantry (pawn), cavalry (knight), elephantry (bishop) and chariotry (rook).

After the first four moves, there are 318,979,564,000 possible options open to you, which means you will never play the same game of chess twice. Because there’s no luck involved, chess cannot be conquered by a whim, a random roll, or the wind.

It’s just one brain against the other, no outside factors, no excuses.

CHECKERS BACKGAMMON A two player strategy game that Is not a game of pure skill like Chess, due to the use of dice.

Players roll two dice to find out how far their pieces move in one turn. The winner of one game is the first to get all pieces the way around and off the board.

Backgammon is a game loaded with strategy and mental fortitude. ‘Hitting’ opponent’s checkers at the right time, understanding how far ahead or behind you are (harder to do than you think), and employing various strategies and counter strategies based on your rolls are just the tip of the iceberg.

If you are looking for a low bar to entry Backgammon could be the game for you. Anyone can learn backgammon with about 10 minutes of instruction and a few practice games. Backgammon is not all luck, although due the dice being in play there is an element of fortune. Backgammon greats know how to respond to ‘bad’ rolls and use the odds to their advantage.

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A down to earth strategy game played almost universally across generations.

Is the North American variant of draughts and is one of the oldest games still in existence. This is a pure strategy game, with a low barrier to entry, unlike chess. Beginners can play proficiently against experts and have fun, although they will almost certainly lose. Dating back to almost 3000 BC – the game comes from a variety of regions each with different pieces and boards.

A taxing game for sure, and pleasurable for everyone who takes part due to the easy access of play.

HOW TO PLAY CHINESE CHECKERS - Sean Allan -

Instruction Guide

Solution Video

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The Rules:

How To Play And Win With Strategy & Tactics Chinese checkers is one of those games that anyone can play. The rules for Chinese checkers are really quite simple. The challenge for the game comes in deciding which tactics one uses to win!

One of the first questions people who are new to the game will ask is, “Why is it called Chinese Checkers?” The game did not originate in China, nor is it a variation on the game of checkers. In fact, it was created in Germany in the late 1800s and was known as Stern Halma. The word stern means ‘star’ in German.

How to Play:

You might ask how do you play Chinese checkers. Actually, learning how to play Chinese checkers is very simple. Chinese checkers is a game for two to six players.

Each player is assigned one of the colored triangles as a starting point (the starting triangle). In a standard game, each player begins with ten marbles which are placed in ten corresponding holes in her starting triangle. The marbles are usually the same color as the player’s starting triangle.

The objective is for each player to move all of their marbles across the board toward the triangle that is on the opposite side of the playing board (the destination triangle). Players take turns moving their marbles and can move only one marble per turn. A player can move her marbles in one of two ways. The first is to move one marble into an empty, adjacent hole. Marbles can be moved in any direction, forward or backward, one hole at a time.

The second way a player can move a marble is by ‘jumping’ over another marble.

A player can jump in a straight line over any neighboring marble and can continue jumping over neighboring marbles as long as she desires. A player can jump over any color of marble including her own. Unlike traditional checkers, marbles that are jumped over are not removed from the playing board.

Rules for 2 Players The basic Chinese Checkers rules apply regardless of how many people are playing.

When there are only two players, their starting triangles should have at least one unused starting triangle between them. Another popular way to begin is that the players are positioned directly opposite each other, each starting in the opponent’s destination triangle. This makes the game more interesting. The players take turns, alternating between each other. A good way to determine who goes first is by flipping a coin or some similar ‘luck-of-the-draw’ type of system.

Rules for 3 Players As with the 2-player version, the players should begin with an empty, unused starting triangle between each person. Each player takes turns, usually moving in a clockwise manner, or, traveling to the player to the left. A player can move her marbles in any direction across or around the board. It is not unusual when playing with three or fewer players to increase the number of marbles used, adding up to five more per person.

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Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

How to Win:

The way to win is to be the first person to have all of your marbles in your destination triangle. While that may sound simple, there are several strategies which can be used to increase the speed with which marbles are moved across the board.

No Stragglers – As you move each marble out into the playing area, attempt keeping all of your marbles in a line with few spaces between them. This way you can take advantage of creating a system for each marble to jump over several others marbles. This allows you to advance quickly. Do not leave any stragglers behind, as it may become difficult for them to catch up with the others.

Blocking – Sometimes referred to as ‘spoiling’, blocking is a strategy where a player leaves one of her marbles in her opponent’s destination triangle. This prevents the opponent from completely filling her destination triangle. There are rule variations that limit the effectiveness of this idea, and players will need to determine which rules will be used to play the game.

Stay Centered – A common saying is that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. This is certainly true in Chinese checkers. Avoid allowing your marbles to wander off to the sides of the board. Keep them in the center. Most opponents will use the same playing strategy, which can help set up some very fun and dramatic jumping sequences.

Chinese checkers is a wonderful game because any level of player can enjoy the competition. More advanced players can use complicated techniques and try to anticipate their opponent’s next moves. Once you have played a few games, you will develop your own scheme for how to best deploy your marbles and how to effectively fill your destination triangle. Most importantly, have fun.

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FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS COME GREAT THINGS:

SIAMMANDALAY TURNS 20

From small beginnings come great things: last month SiamMandalay celebrated its 20th anniversary. Thank you to all the talented people throughout the years who have made this journey all possible, and to the class of 2017 for continuing the hard work and dedication which has got us this far.

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MILESTONES 2014

2017

SiamMandalay joined the DEP Thailand, to participate in the SMART LIVING 2014 International Autumn Trade Fair at Dubai, UAE.

SiamMandalay celebrates its 20th Anniversary.

2005 2009

SiamMandalay wins KTB’s SME of the Year in Thailand for Best Medium Sized Service Company.

SiamMandalay joined the DEP Thailand, to participate in the Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair 2009 at Nuremnberg, Germany.

2004 SiamMandalay achieves ISO 9001 : 2000 for it’s trading business, reinforcing its committment to constantly improving its processes.

2001 This was followed by the expansion of the warehouse and offices, and the construction of an additional building, housing a two story office complex for Software Development which opened in late 2001.

1999 1 Fu Fueled by rapidly expanding ex export sales, in 1999 Sia SiamMandalay built an office and warehouse building at Amphur Sarapee, Chiang Mai.

1993 Business activities in Chiang Mai, Thailand were initiated in 1993 to support the supply side needs of the new import company in Toronto, Canada, South East Asians Imports.

1997 Siam Mandalay Company Ltd. was registered in 1997 with its Chiang Mai office initially located in Amphur Muang, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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God used beautiful mathematics in creating the world.

- Paul Dirac -