It was a strange kind of board, without any single spot that was an obvious ideal starting point. Since we each get three starting settlements in two-player Settlers, I knew I would be able to get a range of numbers, so my first strategy was to choose what looked like the best supply of ore - a 4 hex. The alternatives were 12 and 11. I selected the intersection with two grain hexes that had reasonable numbers (5 and 10) thinking I might also head towards the grain harbour on the other side of the board. That was still available after Richard had placed his first two settlements, so I took the 10 on clay next to two sheep hexes, near the grain harbour, and then, a distance from both my other settlements, the intersection of sheep with two wood, near the wood harbour.
That meant I had access to all five resources - albeit limited in some cases - and a good spread of numbers. It also gave me quick access to three harbours, which are particularly useful in the two-player game, where trading between people isn't allowed (in our two-player Settlers house rules) so all trading must be done with the bank.
The first roll of the dice gave me, in addition to what I had in my hand already, the ability to build my first extra street and settlement straight away. I opted for the 3:1 harbour near my ore hex.
As always, the rolls of the dice did not follow expected probabilities. There were a large number of 9s rolled, giving Richard a vast number of available streets since he had settlements - and then cities - on both a wood and a clay 9 hex. 4 was not rolled until a long time into the game; so when we had both built our two remaining settlements, we had to trade for ore. My harbours were useful for allowing that a little more quickly than Richard could; however it had the disadvantage that I was ahead in points, meaning that whoever rolled a 7, Richard got to control the robber and take an extra resource card from the bank (another two-player house rule).
I started buying cards, hoping for knights, or at least a 'year of plenty' or perhaps a monopoly; but my first two were victory points. Useful long-term, but not in the early stages. Suddenly I realised I had - by accident - built the longest street. It was a bit annoying since by that stage Richard had caught up with me in buildings, so I would not have been ahead any longer without the street card!
Gradually the dice started favouring Richard more and more; he placed a settlement on a spot I was hoping for, and then - eventually - took the longest street card. Since we were playing to 16 points it was important that he didn't also gain the largest army card, so I continued buying cards and was able to play sufficient knights to get the largest army, and also move the robber - temporarily - from my hexes.
Then came a fairly tense few rounds in the game. Richard had done all his building - 13 points - and had the longest street. All he could do was buy cards. We both had four knights, so he needed only one more to take the card from me, and win with 17, or a victory point card that would give him the game at 16. I, meanwhile, had still one more settlement and city to build, so I had only 10 points on the board, plus the largest army. He had no idea that I had, by that stage, three victory points, meaning that we both had 15. He was still pulling far more resource cards than me, and I thought was bound to win... then, at last, I was able to build my final city and produce the three victory points.
In the end it was pure luck that enabled me to win - but then there's always a fair amount of luck in Settlers games.
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