The Livonian Landing

Russia has more openings than any other country on the Diplomacy board - the result of starting with four units scattered around the eastern half of the map. The opening I would like to talk about today is the Livonian Landing - involving what is called by some "the only Russian province you never move to in Spring 1901", legendary Livonia.

The opening starts simple: A Warsaw and F Sevastopol play with Galicia and Black Sea as diplomatic talks with Turkey and Austria dictate; the goal is Rumania, and nothing else (for now). The real deal is with F St. Petersburg (South Coast) moving to the Gulf of Bothnia and the start of the show, A Moscow, going to Livonia in the Spring.

By Fall, we should have something like this:

The army you landed in Livonia in Spring now leapfrogs to Finland in Fall. The point of all this is that you wish to antagonize Germany (possibly due to already knowing about a bounce in Sweden or some other nasty business) without scaring England with A Moscow-St. Petersburg, or possibly wasting an unit if Germany didn't mean harm at all (as F Gulf of Bothnia-Baltic Sea or A Warsaw-Silesia would). You ignore Sweden, but that logistical loss is diplomatically good to a degree - nobody likes a clear leader so soon, and Russia's 4-SC start is bound to push the Tsar upwards anyway.

You are now poised to take Sweden for sure in Spring 1902, whether Germany took it or not - the German fleet is unlikely to be close to other German units and may only be rescued by England. If Germany took it and the Prime Minister reacted to your diplomacy well, F Gulf of Bothnia S A Finland-Sweden is guaranteed to succeed and hand you a good shot at Denmark in 1903 - a retreat to the Baltic Sea won't scare you much, especially with F Gulf of Bothnia sitting there watching over Livonia and St. Petersburg - England will appreciate a lack of fleets in Sweden as well. If Germany ignored it - and even better, is actually friendly - in 1902 you may just swing your fleet to Sweden supported by A Finland, then grabbing English-held Norway in Fall 1902. If Germany moved its fleet to Holland instead, a convoy from Livonia to Sweden gives you a supported attack on Denmark in 1902 without ever scaring England in Norway.

The Livonian Landing is one of very few openings to give Russia a step ahead in Scandinavia without sacrificing other options - be them anti-English or anti-German. Livonia might be, after all, a good place for your Moscovite army to spend Spring on!