second player can in principle evaluate whether or not the first move is a winning move and choose to invoke the pie rule if it is (thereby effectively becoming the first player). In practice, assuming the pie rule is in force and the official Schensted/Titus board is being used, Y is a very well balanced game giving essentially equal chances for any two players of equal strength. The balance is achieved because the first player will intentionally make a move that is sufficiently "bad" that it is not clear to the second player whether it is a winning move or a losing move. It is up to the judgement of the second player to make this difficult determination and invoke the pie rule accordingly. See also Hex Connection games References Bibliography Browne, Cameron. Hex Strategy: Making the Right Connections. Schensted, Craige and Titus, Charles. Mudcrack Y & Poly-Y. External links Y on HexWiki Board games introduced in 1953 Abstract strategy games Connection games