diff --git a/server/GameBoard.py b/server/GameBoard.py
index d76fd12..80839f5 100644
--- a/server/GameBoard.py
+++ b/server/GameBoard.py
@@ -151,6 +151,11 @@ class GameBoard:
 
     return {"name": self.type, "is_ladder": self.is_ladder}
 
+  def __getstate__(self):
+    state = self.__dict__.copy()
+    state['turns'] = []  # strip turn history — grows linearly, not needed for move computation
+    return state
+
   async def save(self, store_class, **kwargs):
     store = store_class(**kwargs)
     await store.save(self)
diff --git a/server/blueprints/battlesnake.py b/server/blueprints/battlesnake.py
index e03df7a..c862e21 100644
--- a/server/blueprints/battlesnake.py
+++ b/server/blueprints/battlesnake.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, cast
-import json, time, os
+import asyncio, json, time, os
 
 from quart import Blueprint, request, jsonify
 
@@ -61,9 +61,27 @@ def create_battlesnake_blueprint(server:'Server') -> Blueprint:
     server.metrics_collector.record_http_request('move')
     game_state = await request.get_json()
     move_started = time.perf_counter()
-    game_board = cast(GameBoard, await server.game_runtime.get_game_board(game_state))
-    next_move = game_board.snake_neat_make_a_move()
-    await server.game_runtime.persist_game_board(game_state['game']['id'], game_board)
+
+    game_id = game_state['game']['id']
+    timeout_ms = int(game_state.get('game', {}).get('timeout', 500))
+    budget_sec = max(0.05, (timeout_ms - 50) / 1000.0)
+
+    next_move = None
+    move_completed = False
+    game_board = None
+
+    try:
+      async with asyncio.timeout(budget_sec):
+        game_board = cast(GameBoard, await server.game_runtime.get_game_board(game_state))
+        loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
+        next_move = await loop.run_in_executor(None, game_board.snake_neat_make_a_move)
+        move_completed = True
+    except TimeoutError:
+      await await_log(server.logger.warning(f'MOVE TIMEOUT: turn={game_state.get("turn")}, game={game_id}, returning fallback {next_move!r}'))
+
+    if move_completed:
+      await server.game_runtime.persist_game_board(game_id, game_board)
+
     await server.gameplay_tracking.record_gameplay_turn(game_state, next_move, game_board)
     elapsed_ms = (time.perf_counter() - move_started) * 1000.0
     await server.metrics_collector.record_move(next_move, elapsed_ms)
diff --git a/server/game_state_store/RedisGameBoardStore.py b/server/game_state_store/RedisGameBoardStore.py
index c7183e2..587848e 100644
--- a/server/game_state_store/RedisGameBoardStore.py
+++ b/server/game_state_store/RedisGameBoardStore.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
-import inspect, pickle
+import inspect, pickle, zlib
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
   from server.GameBoard import GameBoard
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ class RedisGameBoardStore:
 
   async def save(self, game_id:str, game_board:'GameBoard') -> None:
     redis = await self._get_redis()
-    payload = pickle.dumps(game_board, protocol=pickle.HIGHEST_PROTOCOL)
+    payload = zlib.compress(pickle.dumps(game_board, protocol=pickle.HIGHEST_PROTOCOL), level=1)
     await redis.set(self._key(game_id), payload, ex=self.ttl_seconds)
 
   async def load(self, game_id:str):
@@ -36,7 +36,10 @@ class RedisGameBoardStore:
     payload = await redis.get(self._key(game_id))
     if payload is None:
       return None
-    return pickle.loads(payload)
+    try:
+      return pickle.loads(zlib.decompress(payload))
+    except zlib.error:
+      return pickle.loads(payload)
 
   async def delete(self, game_id:str) -> None:
     redis = await self._get_redis()
diff --git a/snakes/ApexBattleSnake.py b/snakes/ApexBattleSnake.py
index ae5e3be..74db7db 100644
--- a/snakes/ApexBattleSnake.py
+++ b/snakes/ApexBattleSnake.py
@@ -79,6 +79,11 @@ class ApexBattleSnake(TemplateSnake):
     # RL bootstrap dataset recorder
     self.rl_bootstrap = RLBootstrapDataset()
 
+  def __getstate__(self):
+    state = super().__getstate__()
+    state['_game_phase'] = 0.0  # A3: per-turn scalar, recomputed in choose_move
+    return state
+
   # ── Env helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
   def _get_timeout_buffer_ms(self) -> int:
diff --git a/snakes/TemplateSnake.py b/snakes/TemplateSnake.py
index 73f38f1..2062feb 100644
--- a/snakes/TemplateSnake.py
+++ b/snakes/TemplateSnake.py
@@ -202,3 +202,12 @@ class TemplateSnake:
   def set_target_food(self, target_food:dict):
     self.target_food = target_food
     return True
+
+  def __getstate__(self):
+    state = self.__dict__.copy()
+    state['history'] = []              # strip history — grows per turn, not needed for moves
+    state.pop('game_board', None)      # re-set at top of every choose_move; circular ref
+    state.pop('calculations', None)    # re-initialised at top of every choose_move
+    state.pop('eat_the_snake_overwrite', None)  # re-initialised at top of every choose_move
+    state.pop('kill_the_snake', None)  # per-call transient
+    return state
diff --git a/snakes/UltimateBattleSnake.py b/snakes/UltimateBattleSnake.py
index 5d592e8..a174f3b 100644
--- a/snakes/UltimateBattleSnake.py
+++ b/snakes/UltimateBattleSnake.py
@@ -100,6 +100,17 @@ class UltimateBattleSnake(TemplateSnake):
     # RL bootstrap dataset recorder
     self.rl_bootstrap = RLBootstrapDataset()
 
+  def __getstate__(self):
+    state = super().__getstate__()
+    # strip per-turn precomputed state — all re-assigned at the top of choose_move
+    state['_enemy_dmaps'] = []
+    state['_enemy_heads'] = []
+    state['_base_blocked'] = set()
+    state['_is_snail'] = False
+    state['_bfs_cache'] = {}
+    state['_bfs_cache_turn'] = -1
+    return state
+
   # ── Env helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
   def _get_timeout_buffer_ms(self) -> int: