Gess
Gach is a strategic board game with chess -like rules, which is played on a Go board and go stones.
History
Gach was invented by eight students of the " puzzles and games ring of the Archimedean Mathematics Society " ( Puzzles and Games Ring of the Archimedeans Mathematics Society) at the University of Cambridge as Gess ( A portmanteau of Go and Chess ). The rules was held for the first time in 1994 written by Paul Bolchover in the journal Eureka in the UK. It sees itself as a chess variant on a Go board. In Germany it was first described as Gach ( Go and Chess ) by Ian Stewart in May 1995 in an issue of Scientific American.
Game rules
Aim of the game
The aim of the game is to destroy all enemy rings ( cf. chess king).
Game character
A character consists of a 3 x 3 squares large square in which at least a separate stone, but no opposing stone is located. This area is called the footprint of the figure; it may also partially located and must only overlap at least one field of the board outside of the board.
The position of the stones in the square describes the possible moves of the figure. You may move each in the direction that is busy square with a stone.
The middle position is in front of the train length. If this position is filled, the character may move as many squares. If it is unoccupied, the figure may draw only up to 3 spaces.
Loss of tokens
A character may move at most so far, until her footprint overlaps with at least one field of an obstacle.
An obstacle can
- Be one or more separate or opposing pieces.
- Be the sidelines.
Game play
It is alternately pulled and there is Zugpflicht. You always have to take a train that changes the arrangement of the pieces on the board. Black makes the first train.
The game ends when a player has no more ring. If the withdrawing player himself destroyed his last ring, he loses, or practically equivalent: one must not destroy his last ring ( one always has a train which gets its own ring). Otherwise, if the opponent after the train has no ring, the withdrawing player wins.
Basic installation
Generally
It is played on a Go board with 19 horizontal and 19 vertical lines. The stones are placed on the lines defined by the fields, and not like the Go to the intersections of the lines. The board therefore has 18x18 fields.
Each player has 43 stones at the beginning. Their basic installation forms figures, corresponding to those of chess. On the rearmost and foremost three rows are, from the direction black from left to right as seen:
Tower - Runner - Queen - Ring (King) - Runner - Tower
In front of it are each 6 farmers.
Description of the Figures
- Symbolically, through a drawing:
- Numerically by three octal numbers
Ring
The ring is the most important figure in the Gach. It corresponds to the king in chess. It consists of 8 tokens, which are arranged in a ring around the center of the footprint. He can therefore in all directions, but only move a maximum of 3 fields.
In the basic position one ring is present. His position is in black in the right middle position in white in the left middle position.
- Figure Code: 7-5-7
Lady
The lady is the most powerful piece in the game. It consists of 9 game characters which cover all positions of the footprint. You can arbitrarily far, both horizontally and vertically, and diagonally move ( cf. Dame ( chess) ).
In the basic position a lady is present. It is located at the left of the black ring at the right of the white ring.
- Figure Code: 7-7-7
Runner
The rotors consist of five tokens, which are arranged in the four corners of the footprint, and at its center. This allows you to move diagonally any distance across the field, similar to the runners in check
In the basic position two runners are available. These are located left and right of lady and ring.
- Figure Code: 5-2-5
The towers consist of five tiles arranged like a cross in the footprint. You can move similar to the tower in chess horizontally and vertically any distance on the field, therefore.
In the basic position two towers are present. You are left and right on the edge of the playing field.
- Figure Code: 2-7-2
Peasantry
As Bauer is called a character which only the center top square has a stone. You can only move 3 spaces forward, therefore, similar to a farmer in chess.
In the basic position 6 farmers are present. These are located before each of the above figures.
- Figure Code: 2-0-0
Note
It is not mandatory, to speak at the opening of the Division of the basic figures. One can each 3x3 square in which only their own stones, interpreted as figure and move according to their stones arrangement. For example it is possible to form a character which is two-thirds from the left tower and one third from the left rotor. This figure could then move diagonally any distance and to the left, in the initial position, however, only a step away, because then stones are already covered by the footprint of the figure.
Theoretically, 512 figures would be possible. However, the two possible figures 0-0-0 and 0-2-0 are not possible in the game, since they do not contain any direction stones. Thus 510 different figures remain, however, many of which emerge through rotations and reflections from others. Thus, a single stone ( Bauer), with plenty of clearance around its position, move in any direction. For this purpose, only the center of the footprint has to be chosen differently. It thus corresponds to 8 different "figures".
Summary of the rules
The two players take turns. There is Zugpflicht. First, choose a 3x3 square ( footprint ). This may only contain their own stones. At least one of which must be at the edge of the square. Only at least one field of the square must be on the pitch ( 18x18 fields). This square is shifted along with the contained stones, in a direction in which a block on the edge of the square relative to the intermediate field is located. Is the middle field occupied, one must push as far as desired, otherwise a maximum of three hexes. The square must not exceed the extent be pulled until it overlaps another stone, or pushed up a stone in the square from the board. The overlapped or pushed off the board own and opponent's stones are beaten. Loser of the game is the player who has no ring, which is a 3x3 square with eight stones of the player and a free midfield.
Notation
The notation of a game Gach - game is similar to a chess game. From left to right (as seen from Black from ) the columns of a are denoted by r. From bottom to top, the lines 1 to 18 are indicated. The position of the center of the footprint is connected to the beginning and end of the train as train with - listed as " ".
Example: