Cubic
A very nice puzzle related to Sokoban. You drag stones horizontally, and when two or more of the same color are adjacent, they disappear. Gravity exists to pull your stones down.

Inventing and talking about new or obscure abstract games
A very nice puzzle related to Sokoban. You drag stones horizontally, and when two or more of the same color are adjacent, they disappear. Gravity exists to pull your stones down.

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João Neto
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11:16
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[rules]
J J B
abcdefghijklmnopqrstu ---------
x x . . . . 1. q6 h5
x . . . . . . 2. b5 h1
B x . . . . . . x B 3. p5 j7
. . . . . . . . . 4. e2 k8
x . . . . . . x . . 5. d3 h7,ne
o . . . . . . : x . . 6. r3 f1,se
. . . x x . . x . . 7. k10 p7,sw
. . . . x . x . . 8. n9 h9
J . . x . . x . . J 9. m10 o8,w
x . . x x . . 10.
. . . . . . 11. 0-1
abcdefghijklmnopqrstu
A win with a 7 step move after a lousy play by J
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João Neto
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13:20
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Perhaps the best game with this concept is to use a larger hexagonal board and to simplify the turns into a 12* progressive mutator:Game sample:
abcdefghijklmnopq
. . . . . 1
. . . . . 2
. . . . . . . 3
. . . . . . . 4
. . . . . . . 5
. . . . . . . 6
. . . . . . . 7
. . . . . 8
. . . . . 9
J's B's
1: -- e1 q5 e9
2: h2 i7 i5 m9
3: f4 m7 h4 n4
4: b4 p4 d4 l4
5: g1 k9 m1 i9
6: i1 m3 n2 p6
7: k3 g7 d8 h6
8: i3 f6 k1 j2
9: d2 f2 h8 k7
10 e5 k5 c3 g9
11 resign
abcdefghijklmnopq
j j j b b
j j j b b
b . . j j j .
j b j b b b j
. j b j . . b
. . j b . . b
. . j j b j .
b . b . .
b b b j b
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João Neto
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14:14
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Hexagonal boards are very nice to play these games, since they have 3 natural directions.
3-HEXAGONAL ELECTION (121)* progressive mutator
On each move fill any empty cell or cells with your symbol.
In a hexagonal board there are three directions (in the following board, one horizontal and two diagonals). The actual board has some cells removed so that all lines have an odd number of cells (to prevent draws in the ownership of those lines):
abcdefghi
. . . 1
. . . 2
. . . 3
. . . 4
. . . 5
A majority friendly cells in a line win that line for that player.
A majority of parallel lines win that direction for that player.
A majority of directions win the game for that player.
Game sample:
B's J's
abcdefghi ================
j b j 1. f2 c1 e5
. b b 2. b4 h4
. b j 3. f4 h2 g5
b b j 4. e1 g1 i3
. j j 5. c3 resign
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João Neto
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09:11
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SIERPINSKI ELECTION
On each move fill a cell or cells with your symbol. The number of stones dropped follows a 121 cycle (ie, one stone, then two stones, then one stone, and so on). In short, we say it uses a (121)* progressive mutator.
Two friendly cells in a small triangle win that triangle for the player.
Two won small triangles in the same large triangle win that for the player.
Two won large triangles for a player win the game.
The notation is, top-triangle = 1; bottom-left = 2; bottom-right = 3;
and largest triangle = 1st co-ordinate down to smallest = 3rd co-ordinate.
Game example: J's B's
1. 111 222 333
2. 213 311
3. 123 231 221
4. 312 211 233
5. 313 212
6. 323 121 131
7. resign
j
. .
j b
. j . .
___________
b \ / b
b j \ / j j
\ /
b j \ / . .
b . . b \ / . j . b
The name is due to the way committee membership can be fiddled so that a strategically-placed minority can still win an election! The idea and these games by Bill Taylor.
This election principle can be extended to more games (check next posts).
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João Neto
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12:30
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Every action closes open doors. [T.Sagme, Meditations]
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João Neto
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09:22
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Same as chess, except there is no direct take allowed, on each move all opposite pieces at King distance are captured, the one who captures the king wins
Sample Game:
1. e3 e6 9. b4:b5 Qc7
2. Bd3 g6 10. Nc3 Bb7
3. d3 Nf6 11. Nd5:de6 d6:d5
4. Nh3 Ng4:h3 12. Ba6:ab7 Qc2:cd1
5. h3:g4 Bd6 13. Rc1:c2 Ra7:a6
6. g3 b6 14. Rc3 Nd7
7. d4 c5:d4 15. resign
8. c4:c5 b5:c4
. . . . k . . r
r . . n . p . p
. . . p . . p .
. . . . . . . .
. O . . . . . .
. . R . O . O O
O . . . . O . .
. . . . K . . R
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João Neto
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18:40
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The scoring and moves of the game are exactly as at standard reversi,
with the four initial moves in the four centre cells.
From the second turn onwards, each player plays a move for himself, one for his opponent, and another for himself, to constitute his turn.
Game sample:
=xx==oo=
1. d4 e4
2. e5 d5
3. e3 d3
4. c4 f3
5. d6 d7
6. e2 b4
7. c5 d1
8. e1 f1
9. g2 h3
10 h1 f4
11 g5 g3
12 a4 g1
13 c1 e6
14 f5 h6
15 h2 b5
16 h4 a3
17 f6 a5
18 d8 g4
19 g6 c8
20 c3 f2
21 b8 g7
22 h8 h7
23 b6 h5
24 d2 g8
25 f8 c2
26 f7 e8
27 b3 b2
28 a1 a8
29 b1 e7
30 c6 a2
31 a6 c7
32 b7 a7
1-0 (35-29)
Final Position:
a b c d e f g h
x x x x x x x x 1
x x x x x x x x 2
x o x x x x x x 3
x o o x x o o x 4
x x o x o o o o 5
x o x o o o o o 6
o o o o o o o o 7
o o o o o x x x 8
Corners are much easier to grab, since players may drop an opponent stone on any valid empty cell. There are much more traps on each turn, and the possibilities for each move are quite large.
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João Neto
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19:20
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Sometimes we need to cross doors that may lead to defeat, just to close them behind. [T.Sagme, Meditations]
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João Neto
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09:29
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Oshiqi mechanics with both players playing "x"s.
A player wins if 'o' reaches one of his edges.
Moving "o" to a corner wins. Lose if unable to move. A B A
abcdefghijklmnopqrstu ---------
. . . . . . 1. q6 h5
. . . . . . . 2. i6 m10
B . . . . . . . . B 3. h11 r7
. . . . . . . . . 4. f5 j11
. . x x . . . . . . 5. s8 f7
. . . . x . . . x . . 6. j9 e10
. x x . . . . . x . 7. d7 wins
. . . . . . . . x 8.
A . . . x . . . . A 9.
x . o . x . . 10.
. x x . . . 11.
abcdefghijklmnopqrstu
B
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João Neto
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08:53
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Definition: A piece is on an enemy line if it belongs to a line of adjacent pieces (of either color or type) between two enemy pieces. A line similarly includes any sequence of adjacent edge cells.
RULES
1. On each turn, each player must drop a friendly soldier on an empty cell adjacent to any stone AND then, optionally, move any soldier to an adjacent empty cell which is adjacent to any other piece. After each drop and after each move:
1.1 Any enemy soldier not on the edge and belonging to *two* enemy lines is replaced by a friendly King;
1.2 Any enemy soldier on the edge belonging to *one* enemy line is replaced by a friendly King;
1.3 This replacement only happens if the dropped/moved piece participates in one of those enemy lines;
1.4 Kings are never replaced and do not move.
2. When all cells are occupied, the player with more Kings wins.
abcdefghijklmnopq
. . . . . 1
. . . . . . 2
. . . . . . . 3
. . . . . . . . 4
. . . . . . . . . 5
. . . . . . . . 6
. . . . . . . 7
. . . . . . 8
. . . . . 9
abcdefghijklmnopq
Sample Game:
ooo xxx
----------------------
1. i5 -- j4 --
2. k3 -- g5 j4h4
3. f6 k3i3 k5 h4j4
4. e5 i3h4: e7 --
5. l4 h4i3 m5 j4k3
6. l2 l4m3 d4 k3l4
7. n6 m3n4 c5 e7g7:
8. l6 l2k3: h6 l4j4:
9. a5: f6e7 o7 h6j6
10 h6: h6i6 h8 j6k7
11. b4 e7d6: j6: o7p6
12. q5 n6o7: c7 g7e7
13. d8 a5b6: a5 d4c3:
14. d2: d6f6 e9::j6h6
15. g9: d2e3 d6 e7g7:
16. e7 e3f4: f8: h8i9:
17. h8 f4d4: j8: h6j6
18. m7 q5o5 m3 i9k9
19. l2 d4f4 n6 m3o3:
20. n2 o5p4: n8 k7l8:
21. g3 p4o5 q5: q5p4
22. q5: n2m1 h2 n8m9
23. f2 i3j2 n2: n2m3
24. i1: n4l4 k1 m3n2:
25. n8: i1g1 resign
abcdefghijklmnopq
. o . @ # 1
. o @ o o @ 2
@ . o . o . @ 3
# . o . @ o . @ 4
@ @ # @ # @ @ o # 5
# @ # . x # x @ 6
@ # @ # . # # 7
# x # x x o 8
@ # . x x 9
abcdefghijklmnopq
One possible variant would remove the edge rule, turning the board into a hex-torus. This has pros and cons, it simplifies the game but at the cost of some clarity (the board topology would become harder to grasp).
By
João Neto
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13:59
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There is a fairly nice pentagonal board available that is fully symmetric and thus useful for games requiring that. We used an asymmetric 5-sided board for our 5-Y game Gem: . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . .
. . . .
. . .
. .
.
There is no need to have a fully symmetric one, but it is possible. The board is: . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . 4 4 . . .
. . 3 3 . .
. 2 2 .
1 1
Which is just a dodecahedral cap. The "cut" is to join up so that equivalent cells are identified (the same number represents the same cell).
We can do the same for a heptagonal board... . . . . 1 1
. . . . 2 2 .
. . . . 3 3 . .
. . . . 4 4 . . .
. . . . 5 5 . . . .
. . . . 6 6 . . . .
. . . . 7 7 . . . .
. . . . 8 8 . . . .
. . . . 9 9 . . . .
Just as before, the numbers indicate identical cells. The centre spot is 5, and the whole thing is a symmetric heptagon with 5 dots per side and a 5-dot radius.
By
João Neto
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13:36
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Here is another Torax game, where the blocker wins, but only after much more fight (the board is also larger):
1. c3g7 b3h7
2. b7h3 adopt
a b c d e f g h i
---------------------------------
. . . . . . . . . 1
. . . . . . . . . 2
. O O . . . . O . 3
. . . . . . . . . 4
. . . . . . . . . 5
. . . . . . . . . 6
. O . . . . O O . 7
. . . . . . . . . 8
. . . . . . . . . 9
3. e5 e2
4. f2 f3
5. e3 e4
6. f4 g4
7. d2 d3
8. g3 d3e2
9. e3f2 e4f3
10. f4g3 g2
11. b5 e7
12. g5 h5
13. h4 i4
14. i5 d5
15. c5 c6
16. d4 d5e4
17. d4e3 f3g2
18. g1 h1
19. h9 f1
20. f2g1 f9
21. a7 a6
22. i6 i7
23. i6a7 a8
24. h4i5 i9
25. d6 c6d5
26. b8 a8b7
27. resign
a b c d e f g h i
---------------------------------
. . . . . O _X O . 1
_/
. . . X _O _X _O . . 2
_/ _/ _/
. O O O _X _O _X O . 3
_/ _/ _/
. . . X _O X O X_ O 4
_/ \_
. X X _O X . X O X 5
_/
O . O X . . . . X_ 6
_ \
X _O . . O . O O O 7
_/
O X . . . . . . . 8
. . . . . O . X O 9
By
João Neto
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16:24
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1. Initially both play one or more blocks (O) per turn, or else adopt Blocker. After adoption, the other (X) starts the alternating moves.
2. Alternating play continues as at Quax.
3. The game ends when X has made a connected global loop in any direction; or until this is impossible.
The game has two distinct phases. First there is a poker-like game, where both player drop blocking pieces until one of them accepts the task of Blocker. Secondly, there is a race of connection vs. blocking which, eventually decided if the first phase goes too far. Here is an example of it:
1. d3 b5
2. f5 c4
3. a1 b4
4. b1 adopt block
a b c d e f
---------------------
O O . . . . 1
. . . . . . 2
. . . O . . 3
. O O . . . 4
. O . . . O 5
. . . . . . 6
The game is quickly decided:
5. e4 d5
6. e5 e6
7. d6 d5e6
8. e1 e2
9. resign
a b c d e f
---------------------
O O . . X . 1
. . . . O . 2
. . . O . . 3
. O O . X . 4
. O . O_ X O 5
\_
. . . X O . 6
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João Neto
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16:02
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First player has one move, after which players may play either one or two moves per turn, at their choice.
Both moves of the two must separately be legal FIDE moves for the position faced; there is no enpassant but all other FIDE rules apply.
1 c4 c5 Nf6
2 b4 Nf3 c:b4 Nc6
3 a4 g3 a5 e5
4 N:e5 d4 N:e5 d6
5 Bg5 d:e5 Qc7 Ne4
6 Bg2 e:d6 N:d6 Bd7
7 O-O Qd4 f6 Be7
8 Bf4 Qd5 Q:c4 Rc8
9 Q:b7 B:d6 B:d6 Qc7
10 Rc1 Qe4+ Kd8 Be5
11 R:c7 Nd2 R:c7 B:a1
12 Nb3 Qa8+ Bc8 Ke7
13 N:a1 Qe4+ Be6 ---
14 Nb3 Bh3 ? f5 Rc3+ !
15 N:c1 Bf1 f:e4 Rd8
16 resign
. . . r . . . . 8
. . . . k . p p 7
. . . . b . . . 6
p . . . . . . . 5
O p . . p . . . 4
. . . . . . O . 3
. . . . O O . O 2
. . N . . B K . 1
a b c d e f g h
After move 14, White loses the queen and is unable to recover the R vs N advantage.
This chess variant, with a pace equal to Marseillais Chess is indeed quite different. Pieces that are moved inside the same turn do not give extra liberties to each other (each move must be legal according to the initial position at the start of the turn).
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João Neto
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07:42
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j = jeep: moves 3 spaces
o = obstacle: can only be entered with a single step
g = grenade: creates an unfillable gap from a wall
r = rope: crosses a wall
a = archway: creates an unfillable gap from a space
p = pivot: turns a wall through 90^ (re-usable)
L = L-wall: 2 units L-shaped
3 = 3-wall: 3 units long
B J
1. -N GIc WS GIk
2. WW EGc WW EGk
3. WW CEe SS CEk
4. NW Ece WW ACk
5. EE ACe EE rDEe
6. EE Egi SS jS
7. EE DFi WS Ikm
8. WE rN SE pDk
9. NN CEn SE 3Ekn
10 NN 3EGl EE aHim
11 resign Powers left: J: [ogL], B: [jogapL]
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N
a , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . a
: :
b : + + + + + + + + + + + + : b
: :
c : + + + +-------+-------+ + + + + : c
: | :
d : + + + | + + + + + + + + : d
: | :
e :-------+-------+ + + + + + + + + : e
: :
f : + + + + + + + + + + + + : f
: | B :
g : + + + | + + + + + + + + : g
: | :
h : + + + + + + + + + + + + : h
: :
i : + + +-------+ + + + + + + + : i
: :
j : + + + + + + + + + + + + : j
: | :
k :-------+ o +-------+-------+ + + + + : k
: | | J | :
l : + +-------|-----------+ | + + + + : l
: | | :
m : + + + | + + > < + + + + : m
: | :
n ` - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ' n
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N
By
João Neto
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11:04
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In the middle lies the virtue of no decision. [T.Sagme, Proverbs]
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João Neto
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13:22
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* Object of the game: to take the flag to one of one's own home bases.
* Movement and capture is similar to Lines of Action, with the distance to be moved being EITHER the total number of pieces in the vertical line of the piece to be moved, OR the horizontal line, mover's choice.
* If a piece moves to the uncaptured flag, or captures an opposition piece with the flag, he captures the flag and keeps it until captured.
Initial Setup:
a b c d e f g h i
; . x . . . o . : 1
. x . . . . . o . 2
x . . . . . . . o 3
. . . . . . . . . 4
. . . . F . . . . 5
. . . . . . . . . 6
o . . . . . . . x 7
. o . . . . . x . 8
. . o . . . x . . 9
Game Sample:
Xs: Os;
1. b2-d4 i3-g5
2. d4-e4 b8-b7
3. i7-i4 h2-g3
4. g9:g5 g3:g5
5. a3-c3 c9-f6
6. i4-h5 f6-g6
7. h8-f6 g6:e4
8. h5:g5 a7-c5
9. g5*e5 e4*e5
10 f6*e5 c5*e5
11 c3*e5 g1-g3
12 c1-d2 b7-c6
13 d2-e3 resign
a b c d e f g h i
; . . . . . . . : 1
. . . . . . . . . 2
. . . . x . o . . 3
. . . . . . . . . 4
. . . . X . . . . 5
. . o . . . . . . 6
. . . . . . . . . 7
. . . . . . . . . 8
: . . . . . . . ; 9
This is a catch-the-flag game with a mix of Lines of Action. Games are fast and full of tactical measures and counter-measures. There is no great strategic depth but the game is fun. Game by Bill Taylor.
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João Neto
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11:04
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1. Each player must on each move do one of:-
(a) make a regular Chess move; (which includes moving or capturing into or out of either cage).
(b) move his cage (with any contents) to any empty edge or corner square;
(c) insert his cage (with any contents) orthogonally into the board, shifting the other cells in line until a cage appears at the opposite edge (which must have been empty).
2. A player wins by capturing the opponent King
3. No double initial pawn step; no castling.
4. When a pawn reaches the 2nd/7th rank, its mover decides how it promotes.
5. A player may not move his cage twice consecutively.
6. No king must ever be in a cage.
Initial Setup
1 [ ] 1 [] White cage
2 r n b k b n r 2 () Black Cage
3 p p p p p p p 3
4 . . . . . . . 4
5 . . . . . . . 5
6 O O O O O O O 6
7 R N B K B N R 7
8 ( ) 8
a b c d e f g h i
Game Sample (‘>’ means a cage slide):
1. e5 g4
2. e1a8 e4
3. Na8 e8a2
4. a8d1 Ra2
5. N:f2 K:f2
6. d1>d8 a2>i2
7. d6 d:e5
8. d:e5 Bc4
9. b:c4 N:c4
10. b5 Ne3
11. Rd7 i2d1
12. R:d1 N:d1
13. Bb6 d1c8+
14. resign (White cannot recover his material)
Final position:
1 1
2 r . . . . k n 2
3 p p . . p . p 3
4 . . . p . p . 4
5 O . . O . . . 5
6 B O . . O O O 6
7 . . . K . N R 7
8 (n[ ] 8
a b c d e f g h i
This chess variant has two main features that provide some fun: (1) the board changes (rows and columns are shifted left/right or up/down) which permits checks, piece pinning and the like, and (2) pieces may move very fast to other board edges via cage movements. Game by João Neto.
By
João Neto
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12:29
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Games from the Amazons Indians by the Indigenous Brazilian Games Project
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João Neto
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19:11
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I travelled to Greece, visiting Crete and Athens. At Crete I went at the archaeological site of Knossos. Here I saw this reference (click in the pictures to enlarge):



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João Neto
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09:06
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Still another beatiful example of a forced sequence mate with Taylor's Ghost in an Aussie Progressive Chess.1. Nf3
2. a5 h5
3. e4 Ng5 N:f7
4. d5 Qd7 Qg5 Q:d1+
5. K:d1
6. Nb6 Rh6 Rf6 Rf3 Re3 Re1+
7. K:e1
8. Nh6 Nf5 Nd6 Nb5 Nc3 Nd4 Nc2++
r . b . k b . .
. p p . p N p .
. . . . . . . .
p . . p . . . p
. . . . O . . .
. . n . . . . .
O O n O . O O O
R N B . K B . R
After two forced captures which destroyed the White sequences, Black manages to give a great check-mate with his two Knights.
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João Neto
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10:20
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In the SAS post, the traditional Cul-de-Sac game (check also Quoridor) gets more movement and some extra powers to improve the game dynamics.
Well, after some experiences, the powers got larger and deadlier, so RAMBO Walls appeared. The rules are the same, but the game needs a larger board (13x13) and have some extra powers (each player, initially, gets one of each):
* Grenade (explodes half a wall which cannot be rebuilt)
* Archway (prevents a wall between two cells)
* Jeep (the piece moves 3 times in a single turn)
* Rope (the piece jumps over an adjacent wall)
* L-wall (drops a L-shape wall with 2 half-walls size)
* Pivot (a wall with a friendly pivot in its middle can rotate 90º)
* Obstacle (a cell with an obstacle needs a full turn to cross over)
As in SAS, every power deployment substitutes the typical wall drop.
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João Neto
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10:23
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In Scottish Progressive Chess there is a killer tactic called Galvin's Ghost. The idea is to leave a position where the next player must check our king in his first move, and so ending his own sequence.
In the Australian version (posted below) there is another type of ghost (let's call it Taylor's ghost), ie, leave a position where the next player must capture in his first move.
Here is a game where that tactic is applied twice (in moves 4 and 6):
1. d4
2. Nc6 N:d4
3. Nf3 c3 c:d4
4. Nh6,f5,h4:f3+
5. e:f3
6. c5 d5 e5 Qb6b3:d1+
7. K:d1
8. Bf5,d3 Bb4 c432 ++
r . . . k . . r
p p . . . p p p
. . . . . . . .
. . . p p . . .
. b . O . . . .
. . . b . O . .
O O p . . O O O
R N B K . B . R
By
João Neto
at
09:44
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chess
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Same as Scottish Progressive Chess but a move series also ends as soon as a piece is captured.
A game sample:
1. e4
2. d4 d:e4
3. Qh5d5:d8+
4. K:d8
5. Ke2 c4 g3 Bh3 B:c8
6. e5 Nf6 h5 Nc6 Ke7 R:c8
7. a4 h4 Nh3 Ra3d3d8:c8
8. Nb4 a5 Ke6 Bc5 Ng4 f5 f4 R:c8
9. b3 d3 Rd1 Ba3 B:b4
10 e3 Rd8 e4 Kf5 B:b4
11 d4 d5 f3 f:g4+
12 Ke5 g6 Bc5 Rf8 f3+
13 Ke1 d6,7,8Q,h8,h6 Rd5++
. . . . . r . .
. p p . . . . .
Q . . . . . p .
p . b R k . . p
O . O . p . O O
. O . . p p O N
. . . . . . . .
. N . . K . . .
This is also a slower chess variant than the traditional progressive ones. One capture per turn maximum, will set the attention on tactical positions that can take advantage of that new restriction.
By
João Neto
at
09:45
Labels:
chess
0
comments