Oh, you are a felloew math major! That is good to hear, there are not enough of us out there.

I had the same thought when I read your sentence (that something cannot really be "slightly convoluted").

I see what you are saying, but in regard to your analogy about roller coasters and such, it is doubtful that one roller coaster could ever be detrimental to the development of other roller coasters.

Because English is my second favorite school subject, I feel compelled to point out that you might also be misapplying thew ord elegant. Of course, I am being a bit fussy here, and getting caught up in semantics is not worthwhile, but it seems that the application of the term "elegant" to the one form of pente and not the other may be a bit hasty. Something that is elegant could be intricate or simple, and to me, the game of pente is either elegant or not, regardless of wihch opening moves are used.