Why Leela Plays Bad Moves (That Work)

To answer this question, we first need to talk about Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Rock-Paper-Scissors and Game Theory

Most people who play Rock-Paper-Scissors try to be unpredictable and sniff out patterns in their opponent's play. But if your only goal is to be unexploitable, there's a simple strategy: choose each option randomly with equal probability. This is the Game Theory Optimal (GTO) strategy to playing Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Exploiting the Exploiters

While the GTO strategy is unexploitable, it doesn't actively seek to exploit your opponent. For example, if you suspect your opponent is just throwing Rock every time, you'd probably want to shift your strategy away from GTO. (You might want to throw Paper every time!) However, to exploit someone, you have to become exploitable yourself. If your opponent catches onto your new Paper strategy, they might shift to Scissors to try to counter-exploit you! That’s the paradox. You’re not just playing the game—you’re playing the opponent.

Leela’s Odds Game Strategy

What does this have to do with Leela and odds games?

Unlike a bot that is trained to try to find the best moves against the stiffest defense, Leela is instead constantly trying to exploit human play. For example:

• Leela is comfortable avoiding exchanges, even when objectively she has to worsen her position. Look what she does as Black in the position below.

"Wanna trade?"	"Nah..."

The knight retreat above is obviously not objectively the best move. Against an opponent of Leela's caliber, it would probably be punished. But against humans, it often pays off later!

• Leela seeks out terrain that humans lack experience in by choosing unusual pawn structures. Here are some interesting examples.

The Spanish Borg?!	The mouse-slip English?!

The drunken Benko Gambit?!	The Hungry Hungry Hippo?!

Have you played many games in any of these pawn structures? Do you have a sense of their strengths and weaknesses? I know I'd personally be more comfortable in something more normcore like a Carlsbad structure. Leela knows that too, so she drags you into the wilderness with her, usually to her own benefit.

Case Study

Here are some notes on a game I browsed where Leela uses the "Hungry Hungry Hippo" setup to great effect.

Final Thoughts

Leela’s odds games are entertaining but also instructive. She avoids trades to keep pressure and chooses unusual setups that let her live inside asymmetrical, messy positions. We humans can learn from some of these strategies!

If you're down material, or even just facing a lower-rated opponent, try some of Leela's ideas:

• Create tension. Prioritize maximum tension over a short-term setback like losing a pawn.
• Study unusual structures. Look for setups that can profit off 'natural' moves, such as the Hungry Hungry Hippo.
• Keep your opponent uncomfortable. Keep their King vulnerable. Jam up their preferred development. Don't let them settle.