Breakthrough (board game)

Breakthrough ( "breakthrough" ) is a strategic board game that was invented by the Americans Dan Troyka in 2000. The game won the 2001 8x8 Game Design Competition, which was organized by About.com and the Canadian magazine " Abstract Games".

Breakthrough can be played on Little Golem and Super Duper Games online. An eponymous game was invented by the Dutchman Christian Freeling in 1984.

Regulate

Originally Breakthrough was played on a board that had 7x7. For the competition games, the playing field has been expanded to 8x8. There are also versions that are played on 5x5 or 6x6 fields.

• The parties ( yellow and black) each have 16 identical pieces in their color ( on the 8x8 board ). They are situated at the beginning of the two rows that are closest to the player (as in chess initial position ).
• Players take turns, yellow begins. Who is on the train, must draw Fit is not allowed.
• A train is made by pulling one of his characters on the field right in front of the character when it is empty, or one square diagonally in front of the character when it is empty or occupied by the enemy. In the latter case, the opposing character is hit by the train, ie removed from the board. Pulling and hitting always goes only one field, you can skip any fields.
• You win by bringing one of his pieces on the back row on the opponent's side, or by hitting all the opponent's pieces.

Properties

Since the figures, unlike the farmers in chess, on diagonally opposite fields pull ahead as well as hit may, the two parties can not block each other. A position can not be repeated, because the pieces can move only forward also. A lot may thus never end in a draw. The playing time is thus also limited, you can easily figure out that they can take on the 8x8 board no longer than 178 trains ( each party draws 89 times). This value is an upper limit.

Strategy

A figure can not be stopped by a single opposing figure. To defend you, therefore, must establish at least two characters, such as side by side or one after the other. The basic method of attack is to attack on figures that guard multiple attack routes, so that they are deflected and a way to break through (hence the name of the game) is opened.