Several times

I don't have a link handy, but I don't think there was anyone explicitly giving centers to the winner of the recent Cloaks and Daggers-2 game.

In the 2013 Masters, I got solo'd on a couple times (I think by Julien and TheWizard), and it was never because of players throwing. It was usually because the other players made mistakes or didn't see the solo threat on time

http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=156309 hard to find a higher-quality game ending in a solo

As I tried to explain in Global of said game, I think the best way is to cross a stalemate line with one or two allies before you look like too much of a threat, then pick the right time to stab and take centers, on both sides of the stalemate line.

The typical 'kill him, then kill him, then kill him' strategy indeed seems to count on players not experienced enough to see what threat is approaching. The first 10 centers should be the hard ones IMO, making sure you pick them in such a way that taking those other 8 should be a relative breeze.

Said game being the one bas is hinting at, not the one linked.

Did you get all that experience and wisdom from your one solo, steephie?

Stack, Germany blatantly threw that game. It definitely doesn't meet the criteria.

@Stack: do you know what happened in that game? It looks to me like in Spring 1918 it's very easy for EFG to set up a stalemate line together, but Germany decided to let Turkey have Stp & Berlin in order to attack England some more. Did Turkey stab him, or did Germany just prefer a Turkish solo over an EFGT draw?

@ Steephie: You might have noticed that I didn't actually kill anyone in that game. Except Italy, but he CD'd, so what can you do. I intentionally kept Turkey alive to slow you down, and part of the reason I supported Germany to Munich was to keep him large enough to blow up any attempt for E/F to build a stalemate line. I know how to solo in theory, but I have never been able to pull it off in practice (except this last game, but only because krellin & jamiet had their big fight).

@ Everyone else: I don't doubt that there are players on this site who are strong enough to solo when all 6 other players cooperate (or who can manipulate them into not cooperating). I'm trying to find examples of such games to learn from them.

"those other 8 should be a relative breeze."

In my solos, those last few centers were always the easiest. Nobody really puts up a fight once you hit 15 or 16 centers.

Btw, steephie and I are talking about the recently finished mountain 4: gameID=166088

@bas, I'm in the same boat as you. The rare solo I've gotten seems exclusively from other people make a concerted effort to let it happen. I'm always quite impressed when there is a real tactical victory that leads to 18 centres.

Love you too, Yonni.

http://webdiplomacy.net/board.php?gameID=161926#gamePanel

i think this qualifies

ghug, you're the rare life saver buoying my self esteem.

And, Stack, looks like Germany could have done a little to at least try make a stand at StP.

That's not high quality, ssorenn was in it.

Ah, serves me right. I didn't really know what had happened in that game and didn't even look at the map, just saw folks talking about it in the forums.

I don't have any recent examples in games I've played. My last solo was in the ODC and it was 100% because multiple players gave me their centers willingly. Maybe someone with more solos or who gets solo'd on more has some good examples.

bite me ghugells, the question was an earned solo without anyone throwing SC

<3

wheres the love?

gameID=118381

Solo against a pretty good board, with all players fighting the soloer

gameID=112043

Another one

Gold, I actively gave him my centers because Italy and Turkey refused to put aside their differences to stop the solo.

The thing is that any solo is as much a failure on the part of some or all of the other players as it is 's success of the soloer. You win by getting other players to play badly. It's impossible to win against competition playing optimally.

@ssorenn: that's a great example, thanks a lot! Do you have a link to EOG statements for that game? You essentially won when you got an army in Ukraine, am I getting that right? Before that, they could've held a line from Bre-Par-Bur-Mun-Sil-War-Ukr-Sev.

gameID=93086

Well organized solo victory.

Is that the game you meant to link to, 2WL?

By the time you did that, ghug, the game was already lost due to England's advances in the Med. I suppose some blame does go to Turkey, but that game fits the criteria of nobody "throwing it" to the winner

@Stack - no, there will be a glorious solo finish in that game one day.

@Bas,sorry no EoG's, but in order to solo, without the benefit of someone getting sick of others bickering, and someone throwing SC, you need to make the end of mid-game in second or third place and be in position to explode....then people dont see it coming till its too late

@zultar: No. You'll note I said 'I think' and 'IMO', not 'I know because I'm awesome'. I hope you're just +1 whoring rather than implying I must not add my thoughts to a discussion, simply because I'm not an expert.