OPENERS · LESSON 6 OF 6
Transitioning out
AFTER THIS GUIDEYou can name the first free decision after an opener and choose between continuation, cleanup and ordinary stacking.
The last memorised move is a checkpoint.
An opener gives you a known early objective. When it finishes, its leftover blocks become an ordinary midgame surface. The next decision must account for that surface, NEXT, Hold and—outside the trainer—incoming pressure.
Read the board in three passes. First locate the lowest access route or garbage hole. Then find a ready clear. Finally inspect the surface for flexible landings. This stops an attractive second setup from distracting you from an urgent blocked channel.
A continuation is justified when the required supports and visible pieces agree. If a roof remains from the opener, repairing it can be the next objective. If the board is already clean, ordinary stacking while reading the queue is enough.
The Openers exercise may end when its target is completed. You can still study the final board in the attempt or Game history. To practise unrestricted decisions afterwards, use a stacking mode; switching modes starts a different exercise rather than importing that exact board.
Evaluate an exit before naming a follow-up
Notice the restriction
The overhang diagram shows a roof over space. After an opener, find any similar restriction and identify the reachable side. A gap under a roof is not automatically a new spin setup.
Assign the next two pieces
Name supported landings for the active piece and first preview. If your preferred continuation consumes both in incompatible roles, it is not ready.
Choose a short objective
Use a concrete objective such as “expose the well” or “remove the roof”. After doing that, read the board again. Avoid a long continuation whose first recovery move is already uncertain.
The blocks projecting to the right make an overhang. The open space underneath needs a sideways or rotating entry.
- Now · LFinish the placement you already chose
- Next · SFind its landing space
- Then · IKeep the useful channel accessible
An example of reading ahead without abandoning the current placement.
Common mistakes
Restarting as soon as the attack lands
That skips the part where the opener affects your next decisions. Inspect the ending before beginning another attempt.
Treating a theoretical continuation as compulsory
The new bag may not support it. Preserve access and choose a different short goal.
Assuming a mode switch keeps the board
The practice link selects a mode, not a replay position. Use history for analysis and the new mode for a fresh drill.
TAKE IT TO THE BOARD
Review three opener exits
- Complete three opener attempts. Open Game history below the suggestion panel to inspect the final positions.
- For each, identify one restriction, one ready clear and one useful future landing.
- Write a next-two-piece plan using only the displayed pieces. Then practise that kind of decision in 6–3 on a fresh board.
What counts as progress? You can describe a useful first midgame decision without needing another memorised opener.
Open practice ↗Opens the mode. Set Gravity and NEXT yourself; your current settings are kept.
Keep these terms nearby
PATH COMPLETE
Choose your next skill
Repeat the drill if it still needs attention, or choose another learning path.
Explore the learning paths →Further reading
This example and drill were created for Stacking Lab, using the trainer’s implemented behaviour.