Guide to 'The Standard' Opening

'The Standard' is called standard for a reason: it's the most balanced and fundamentally sound opening in Quoridor. Its core philosophy is to achieve a perfect equilibrium between advancing your pawn (offense) and using walls efficiently (defense). This strategy aims to create a small but lasting advantage by controlling the center and creating a more efficient path to the goal.

How to Play 'The Standard'

Step 1: Initial Pawn Moves

The first 2-3 turns are dedicated to pawn advancement. Moving your pawn straight forward is the most efficient way to reduce the distance to your goal. This establishes a presence in the center of the board and keeps your options open for moving left or right later in the game.

Step 2: The Key Wall Placement

This is the defining move of the opening. After advancing your pawn, you place your first wall defensively **behind your pawn**. The ideal placement creates a "path differential"—it makes your opponent's path longer without affecting your own. This single, highly efficient wall forces an immediate reaction from the opponent.

Step 3: Mid-Game Transition

After your first wall, your strategy is to maintain the advantage you've created. Your opponent must now choose how to deal with your wall.

• If they race past it: Use your next wall to directly intercept their path, punishing their lack of defense.
• If they place a counter-wall: Continue advancing your pawn. The game now becomes a patient battle of who can use their remaining walls more efficiently to create the shorter path.

Your goal is to always keep your path to the finish line shorter than your opponent's, using your walls sparingly to maintain that advantage.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Balance and Stability: It's a very solid opening that doesn't take unnecessary risks. It gives you a good position from which to handle any mid-game situation.
• Central Control: By advancing your pawn in the center, you exert control over the most important area of the board.
• Efficiency: The strategy is built on getting the most value out of every move, especially your first wall.

Cons

• Predictable: As the most common opening, experienced players will have well-practiced responses ready.
• Lacks Aggression: It doesn't create immediate threats. A single mistake can cause you to lose the initiative to a more aggressive player.

How to Counter 'The Standard'

Because 'The Standard' is so common, countering it effectively is a crucial skill.

1. The Mirror

Do the exact same thing: advance your pawn and place a defensive wall behind it. This leads to a symmetrical game where the winner will be the player who uses their subsequent walls more cleverly to break the balance and create a path advantage.

2. The Aggressive Counter (Rush)

Ignore their wall and keep advancing your pawn. This is a high-risk strategy that aims to get a pawn lead so significant that the 'Standard' player is forced to use their walls inefficiently just to stop you. You trade wall advantage for pawn position.

3. The Counter-Wall

This is a strong tactical response. Instead of placing a wall behind your pawn, you place a wall that directly obstructs the 'Standard' player's future path. This forces them to commit to moving left or right earlier than they'd like, giving you information about their plan which you can then exploit.