Game Rules

Diagram 1
Diagram 1
Starting Position and Notation
The starting position of the board is as shown on Diagram 1.
  • Columns are labelled from left to right as A to H.
  • Rows are labelled from top to bottom as 1 to 8.
  • The top left square is referred as A1.
  • The bottom right square is referred as H8.
  • A1, H1, A8 and H8 are called corners.
  • B2, G2, B7 and G7 are called x-squares.
  • B1, A2, G1, H2, A7, B8, H7 and G8 are called c-squares.

 

Gameplay

  • Black starts the game first.

  • A legal move is defined as follows:

  1. A new disc must be placed on a vacant square that is adjacent (vertically, horizontally or diagonally) to the current discs on the board.

  2. The new disc must also trap discs of opposing color between the new disc and same colour disc(s) on the board in at least one direction.

  3. All trapped discs of opposing colour must be flipped regardless of their desirability.

  4. A player passes his turn only when there are no legal moves for him to play. The game ends when both players have no legal moves to play.

Objective and scoring

  • The objective of the game is to have as many discs as possible when the game ends. The player that has more discs wins.

  • Score of a game is based on the number of discs that each player has. If there are vacant squares when the game ends, the vacant square numbers add to the winner's final number of discs. If the game is tied, the vacant square numbers is split between both players resulting in a score of 32-32. Diagrams 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the stated points.

Diagram 2 Score : 36-28
Diagram 2 Score : 36-28
Diagram 3: Score 37-27
Diagram 3: Score 37-27
Diagram 4 Score : 32-32
Diagram 4 Score : 32-32