#2: What do Berlin+Munich, Warshaw+Moscow, Spain+Portugal, Rome+Naples pairs have in common?

difficulty: beginner

The solution:

These pairs of territories can be held both from north and south forever as part of a 2-sided stalemate line. Meaning if you get both from the other side Rome+Naples or Warshaw+Moscow from north, or Portugal+Spain or Berlin+Munich from south, then you can win even with losing one of the #1 example's territories. And also, your enemies can stop you from advancing further.

Rome+Naples can be held from north, if you have Tunis and entire West-Italy and Marseilles as well, meaning a northern country can win with a stalemate line without having Munich+Berlin. Yet the example below wins with Venice, but France would have won with StP easily anyway.


gameID=116237

Moscow+Warshaw together can be held from the north as well, resulting the winner can lose Marseilles or Portugal and not get Tunis.



Portugal + Spain. Turkey doesn't have Marseilles, but GoL+Portugal can hold Spain and North Africa+Western seals the stalemate line. So Turkey could have lost Moscow or Warsaw and still win. Also Mid-Atlantic could be held if there was another fleet north, resulting Turkey cannot advance either.



(example needed for Berlin+Munich)

Marseilles+Spain can be held from the south, assuming a northern unit in Portugal, but it's not true in the opposite case.