Don't get cut off !
The fourth game of
Project GIPF. For 2 players.
Build stacks, try to
control your opponent's pieces and, above all, remain linked to the red
DVONN pieces - that's what you have to keep in mind. If you do not?
Well, you may suddenly see quite a few of your pieces disappear from
the board. Be aware of everything your opponent does, but don't forget
to watch your step, too. If you do not? Well, you may end up being
forced to make moves you really don't want to make and, then, strange
things can happen…
A. Contents
- 23 white pieces
- 23 black pieces
- 3 red DVONN pieces
- 1 game board
- 1 rulebook
B.
Aim
Control as many pieces as possible by stacking them on top of each
other and try to keep your stacks linked to the red DVONN pieces. When
no more moves can be made, the player who controls the most pieces wins
the game.
C.
Preparation
1. Draw lots to determine who begins. The starting player takes 2 DVONN
pieces and the 23 white pieces; the other player takes the remaining
DVONN piece and the 23 black pieces.
2. Place the board horizontally between the players (i.e. so that each
player has 9 spaces on his side).
D. The first phase: placing
pieces
1. The game starts with an
empty board. The players take turns placing their pieces on the board,
one at a time. They must start with the DVONN pieces and then continue
with their own color:
White: first DVONN
piece
Black: second DVONN piece
White: third DVONN piece
Black: first black piece
White: first white piece
Black: second black piece
And so on…
2. A piece may be put on
any vacant space, without restriction.
3. When all the pieces are placed on the board, all spaces will be
occupied. This is the end of the first phase.
E.
The second phase: stacking pieces
1. IMPORTANT: the player who started the first phase also starts the
second phase! In other words: after White has put his last piece on the
board, he must immediately play again. Then the players alternate
turns. (As Black is the first to put a piece of his own color on the
board in the 1st phase, so now it is White who may first move one of
his pieces.)
2. Each turn a player must move one piece or one stack. He may only
move a piece or a stack of his own color. When two or more pieces are
stacked on top of each other, the color of the topmost piece determines
who owns the stack, and thus which player may move it.
3. A single piece may move one space in any direction, but only to an
occupied space (i.e. on top of another piece or stack of any color).
4. A stack must always be moved as a whole and moves as many spaces as
there are pieces in the stack. Thus, a stack of 3 pieces (regardless of
their color) must be moved exactly 3 spaces. Just like a single piece,
a stack may be moved in any direction, but always in a straight line.
5. A move may never end in an empty space, but it is allowed to move
across one or more empty spaces. When making a move, each space must be
counted, no matter whether it is empty or occupied (see diagram below).
The indicated
stack may be moved 3 spaces in the direction of the arrows.
6. Important: a piece or stack that is surrounded
on all 6 sides may not be moved. So, at the beginning of the game only
the pieces at the edge of the board may move. The pieces that are not
positioned at the edge remain blocked for as long as they remain
completely surrounded (see diagram below).
The pieces and
stacks marked with an "x" are surrounded on all 6 sides and may not be
moved.
7. A single DVONN piece may not be moved, but a piece or stack may move
on top of it. When a DVONN pieces is part of a stack, it is perfectly
legal to move the stack containing the DVONN piece - but, as explained
above, only by the player who controls the stack.
8. You may not pass a turn, unless you cannot make any more moves.
F.
Losing pieces
1. Pieces and stacks must somehow remain in contact with at least one
DVONN piece to remain in play. "In contact" means that there must
always be a link (directly or through a chain of other pieces) with at
least one DVONN piece. Each and every piece and/or stack that is not
linked to any of the DVONN pieces, must be removed from the board at
once.
Be careful: it may happen that a great number of pieces are suddenly
removed as a result of one single move (see diagram below).
If White moves
the indicated piece, the pieces on the left will no longer be in
contact with a DVONN piece. They must all be removed from the board at
once.
2. All removed pieces go out of the game. It doesn't matter who makes
the move through which the pieces and/or stacks become isolated. Watch
out for this, especially in the endgame. Since you may not pass, you
may be forced to make a move that isolates one or more of your own
stacks (see Diagram below).
3. All 3 DVONN pieces remain in play until the end of the game, even if
one of them becomes isolated, as it will always remain in contact with
itself.
The endgame.
It is White's turn. White has only one stack left to play with. Since
he must make a move he has no other choice than to play it, as a result
of which the stacks marked with an "x" are out of the game…
G.
The end
1. The players must play for as long as they can do so. If one player
can't make a move any more, the other must continue to play until he,
too, has made his very last possible move. In the rare event that a
player who must pass gets the opportunity to make a move again, he must
do so. This can happen when one or more of his pieces are blocked (i.e.
completely surrounded).
2. The game ends when the last move is made. When this stage is
reached, each player puts all of the stacks he controls on top of each
other. The player with the highest stack wins the game, regardless of
the color of the pieces in his stack.
3. If both players end up with an equal stack, then the game ends in a
tie.
Note: if the stacks are equally high or if the difference is only one
piece, then do count the pieces to be sure. As a result of the
manufacturing process of the pieces, their thickness may differ
slightly.
Have fun!
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