Stratego strategy tips

Stratego is a game of imperfect information. Every time an enemy piece moves, it cannot be a Bomb or the Flag. Every time a piece moves several squares, it is a Scout. Track those clues: by the middle of the game you can often name most pieces in front of you.

You have eight Scouts. Fire them down open lanes at unknown pieces that stand still. Losing a Scout to reveal a Colonel or the General is a good trade. Sometimes move a Scout only one square, so it looks like any other piece.

Once your Marshal is revealed, the enemy Spy knows its target. Use the Marshal to finish off pieces already known to be weaker, and keep a guard next to it so an approaching unknown piece can be challenged first.

The Spy only beats the Marshal when the Spy attacks. Keep it one square behind a piece the enemy Marshal wants to take. When the Marshal captures and steps forward, the Spy strikes.

Only the Marshal and Bombs beat your General. Until the enemy Marshal has been revealed, every unknown piece that attacks your General is a risk. After it is revealed, the General can sweep.

The official rulebook warns that you need Miners late in the game to clear the Bombs around the enemy Flag. Do not trade them early. Keep at least two alive for the end game.

Charge an unknown low piece at an enemy piece as if it were a Marshal. Many players retreat from a confident attacker. Leave a piece standing still for the whole game so it looks like a Bomb.

The two-square rule stops you moving the same piece back and forth between the same two squares more than 3 times in a row. Plan a second useful move for every piece you use to stall.

Pieces that never move after 30 or 40 turns are usually Bombs or the Flag. A tight group of them in the back row is often a Flag box. Send a Miner, not your General.

Practise these ideas against the computer on the home page, or improve your opening with the setup guide.