Registered Games

55Stones is a one-rank Mancala game from Germany with simultaneous movement and perfect information. Players try to capture the most stones. Draws are not possible.

Accasta is an abstract board game for two players. Influenced by Dr. Emanuel Lasker's Lasca and Wladyslaw Glinksi's Hexagonal Chess, I tried to achieve a clean and original game using stacks and a hexagonal board.

This modern mancala game has several unusual features: capturing is compulsory, capturing is considered a complete move, and capturing occurs when you have an empty hole. Forced moves and sacrifices are the keys to success in this game.

Alak is a close relative of the board game Go played on a one-dimensional "board". It was originally described in A. K. Dewdney's 1984 book The Planiverse; in 2001, Alan Baljeu modified the game to its present state.

Two player game where one plays the Builder, the other the Destroyer. Square tiles are place in 2x2 plots on a 4x4 grid. The object of the builder is to build up a set of two-story 2x2x2 "houses" (four in a row, four square or a majority) while the destroyer is trying to create the same array of empty plots. On each turn, the players select from a one-out-of-five tile placement or removal set (one on each of five different plots, one on each of one and two on one; two on two, three on one and one on one; four on one). Only three are available on any turn, as a player cannot pick one set that has been placed in the previous two turns. Once a plot is completely built or torn down, it is claimed by a player. The first player to claim four plots in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), four plots in a 2x2 square, have four more plots than his opponent, or to have claimed seven plots anywhere wins the game.

Alta is a two-player abstract board game invented by Dan Troyka in 2002. This game is a member of the connection game family, including such games as Hex, Metamorphosis or Talpa.

The game is played on a square grid. Each player starts with four queens (as in chess queens) placed in predetermined locations on their side of the board. On a players turn, they move a queen and then fire an arrow from that queen (the arrow piece moves like a queen also). The space that the arrow lands on creates a permanent block on the board. Arrows can not be shot through queens or arrows. The first player who can not make a legal move (move a queen and then shoot) loses the game.

This is Reversi with the opposite win conditions from normal Reversi.

Aries is a game of pushing and shoving your way to your opponent's corner. Pieces move like Chess Rooks and can push opposing pieces off the board or into allies. The first person to occupy their opponent's corner wins!

Attract is a simple game in which pieces are placed on an initially empty board and they attract the pieces around them. Clusters of pieces in a certain formation are winners. If at any time one player has more winning formations than their opponent, they win!

Bao is a sowing game that is played on the coasts of Tanzania and Kenya. Bao is a complex multiple lap sowing game played on a board of four by eight holes. Players capture all of the pieces in your opponent's front row or immobilize (by leaving only singletons) all of your opponent's pieces to win.

This is a game of pushing and shoving where you attempt to shove opposing pieces off the board and into your treasure stash. The game allows for 2-4 players (though only 2-player games are rated) and supports the <i>Overloaded</i> variant, where pieces exert a force equal to their strength.

Branches and Twigs and Thorns (or "Barsoomite Go") is an elegant little strategy game for two or four players that uses Icehouse pieces. It is a turn-based game, unlike Icehouse or IceTowers; and there is no luck involved. Like Martain Go, it uses a chessboard, a set of Icehouse pieces for each player, and a collection of tokens (at least ten per player). Players seek to build chains of pieces of their own color and to force their opponents to branch off from opposing pieces of their opponent's colors, which results in a penalty determined by the sizes of the pieces involved.

Byte is played with either a Standard or International Checkers set. It is not a variant, but a unique and robust alternative. Over the course of the game players create stacks of pieces. When a stack of 8 is formed, the stack is removed from play and the person who owns the top piece receives a point. The player with the most points at the end wins! No draws are possible.

This is the standard version of Camelot released by Parker Bros. Cam is a smaller version of this game.

Players alternate turns dropping checkers in a one of multiple columns in order to create a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line of four of your pieces in a row to win. The public domain name for the game is "Captain's Mistress". However, this game has been sold commercially with names such as: Connect Four, 4 in a Line, 4 in a Row, and Four to Win.

Some words from the author: For some time now [Apr 16, 2001] I have been toying with the idea of trying to model/abstract the flow of water carving out a mountainside. A related geometric pattern is the fractal on certain seashells. [...] The image in my mind is a root-pattern forming or tributaries of a river. [...] The game generalizes to any MxN board. Without more experience playing and "figuring it out" I don't know how M and N affect playability. My intuition suggests 8x8 (really 8x15 if you measured it at the bottom) is already nontrivial and 10x10 might be "tournament".

Castle Danger is a 2-player, turn-based strategy game. Each turn, a player gets to add another piece to his or her side of the board, move pieces, and shoot cannonballs at the opponent. Who will hit the other's King first?

This is a commercial game available for purchase from the designer's web site.

Chain Lightning is a two-player abstract board connection game played on a Go board that was invented by Andrew Juell in 2010.

Chase is a very unique game of movement and capturing. It may not be elegant, but it is certainly fascinating. You'll have to play it to understand. Prepare yourself for a real brain-burner!

Chess Cards is a strategy card game with a strong chess flavor. The rules were developed by Edward Lovett from the game Mate found in Gamut of Games.

This is a Connect-4 style game played on a narrower field and one whose columns never fill up.

This is another dice game with some allusions to Cephalopod. One attempts to promote one's own pieces and convert their opponent's to fulfil one of a number of victory conditions.

Crossway is an edge-connection game in which opposing pieces may not cross each other. Draws are not possible.

Delta is another 4-in-a-row game with an interesting movement/placement mechanic. It's fast-paced and aggressive.

This is an interesting game of territory claiming. Movement is done via spawning in diagonal directions and pieces are not captured, but transformed into walls.

Dots & Boxes is a territory claiming game played on a grid of points. In the game, the player claims boxes by enclosing them to also gain another turn. The player who claims more boxes than his or her opponent wins.

Elasta is a simultaneous movmement game where one tries to push the battle-line to their opponent's ground. Players distribute their forces across the columns to determine movement.

Entropy is a 2-player game representing the struggle between Order and Chaos. The Order player tries to organize their board in such a way to score the highest amount. Chaos, of course, attempts to thwart Order whenever possible.

This implementation provides a simultaneous environment where each player has their own Order board. Each player places a piece on their opponent's Order board and then makes a move on their own board, both players acting as both Order and Chaos. The player with the greatest score wins!

The capturing mechanic here is similar to Quadrature. When forming squares with your King and a Soldier, you capture opposing pieces. Destroy the enemy forces before they destroy you.

Fission is a game of mutual destruction. The idea, though, is to keep at least one of your guys left standing in the end.

Variants include: 'Random Start' which randomizes the starting position and 'Losing' which inverts the victory conditions.

One may move stacks of pieces as many spaces as pieces in the stack. Once stacks become higher than 5 pieces, the bottom-most pieces are captured. The last person able to move a stack wins.

This is an abstract stragegy game for 2 players. The idea is to form 2 different formations using a custom set of cards to dictate movement options. This implementation also includes the <i>Extreme</i> variant which requires all 4 formations to win.

Freedom is a two-player abstract board game played on a square board that was invented by Veljko Cirovic in 2010.

Generatorb is 2-player game played on a standard chess board. Players start in opposite corners and attempt to reach their opponent's generator core or occupy the majority of cells on the front line.

Gomoku is a game involving being the first player to place five of their pieces in a row to win. It is traditionally played with Go pieces (black and white stones) on a Go board (19x19 intersections).

Gorgon is a game of attrition where you attempt to deprive your opponent of any moves by slowly petrifying their pieces. The Gorgon board wraps around, so pieces exiting the far edge re-enter at your home row.

Grand Chess is Christian Freeling's Chess variant on a larger board involving Marshall (moves like a Knight and Rook), and Cardinal (moves like a Knight and Bishop) pieces.

Gravity is another 4-in-a-row game but one in which placed pieces gravitate towards the edges of the board.

The goal is to move all your pieces such that they are all orthogonally adjacent to each other. First person to do so wins. The game is like Teeko (form a pattern without capture) meets Lines of Action (connect all pieces).

Halma was invented in the late 19th century by George Howard Monks, and was inspired by an English game called Hoppity. This is a bidirectional race and arrangement game in which both players try to be the first to occupy all of the opponent's starting spaces. Pieces move one space at a time in any direction or advance more quickly by short leaps over any other pieces.

Homeworlds is an abstract space exploration game for the Icehouse game system. This implementation allows for 2-4 players. The standard end-of-game condition is Last Man Standing but a variant also allows the game to end when you eliminate your left-hand oppoonent. Specific details regarding this implementation can be found on the wiki. Any ideas for expansion and variation should also be discussed there.

This is a stacking game in which the goal is to get a 1-stack to the opposing side.

This game was invented by Nick Bentley. The object is to end up with the largest group of stones of your color. The catch is that the player with who doesn't have the larger group places an additional stone per turn.

In this fast-paced game, suggestive of basketball meets Chess, two players try to move their marble to the opposite side of the board, using 5 wooden "blocks" as passing instruments. A player may either pass the ball or move a block like a Knight in a game of Chess. The ball may be passed in any direction but the block with a ball may not be moved. It is competitive, it is strategic and it is quick. So get ready to razzle-dazzle your opponent.

Both the standard and tournament rules are implemented.

Linear Progression is a 2-player game of territory control where as your pieces move, they claim the spaces through which they travel. The winner will control the most spaces on the board when the last space is filled. A 'Blocked' variant is also available which introduces special pieces through which no other piece can move. One additional board layout is also provided in which the center 4 cells are rendered impassable.

Lynx is a two-player abstract board game resembling Dots and Boxes that was invented by Dan Troyka and Cameron Browne in 2004. This game belongs to the connection game family, including such games as Hex, Metamorphosis or Talpa.

This is a game by Mark Steere involving the use of Chess Bishops who must capture an enemy bishop, or position to threaten one every turn. Player who eliminates all enemy bishops wins the game.

Mak-yek is a board game played in Siam and Malaysia (under the name Apit-sodok). It is a game of custodial capture. An 'Edges' variant is available that uses the edges of the board in captures.

This is a version of the Game of Y with slightly modified rules to resolve first-player advantage.

This is a chess variant that includes a row of pieces that move like normal Checker pieces and promote to Checker Kings.

In this game for two, the players invent a pattern, and then one player tries to build it while the other tries to prevent him from doing so. It is played with stones of two (or more, optionally) colors on any tiled surface.

Momentum is a two-player board game invented by Phil Leduc in 2010.

A game by Mark Steere.

Neighbours is a game of stalemating and blocking. The first person to have no moves left loses.

Nine Man Morris is a game involving two phases of placement and movement of pieces, where players seek to form Mills (three pieces of their own in a line) in order to remove an opponent's piece from the board. Nine Man Morris was popular in the Roman Empire, where it originated. It saw heightened popularity in Medieval Europe. Nine Man Morris is also known as Nine Men Morris, Nine Men's Morris, Mill, Mills, Merels, Merelles, and Merrills.

This is a game of capturing for 2 players. The game is interesting in that the board is different every time. Try to capture 3 of any one of your opponents piece types, or 4 opposing pieces in total. This game has great potential for variation by adding different tiles and piece types/powers. Post your suggestions on the Wiki!

This implementation is currently testing <b>B</b>ishop and <b>R</b>ook tiles. Pieces on these tiles can currently move like the chess piece but cannot capture.

Ordo is a "get to your opponent's home row" game in which you must always keep your pieces connected. Pieces can move singly, but also as a group in certain situations.

Oust is played with a Go set. The board starts out empty in Oust, and the object is to capture all of your opponent's on-board stones, a paradox. Draws and ties cannot occur in Oust.

Oware is the one of the most well know versions of games in the Mancala family of abstract strategy games. The Mancala family of games involves moving and sowing stones in pits, in order to capture stones controlled by a player's opponent. Oware is also played throughout West Africa and also the Caribbean.

Pah-Tum is an ancient game which is played on a 7x7 grid. An odd number of cells are then marked as unplayable. The players then take turns placing a piece until the board is full. Points are scored for the longest lines of pieces. The one with the most points wins.

This implementation will randomly mark 5, 7, or 9 random cells as unplayable. A pie rule is also implemented to balance out possible first-move advantage.

Particle Bond is a two-player abstract board game invented by Corey Clark in 2010. This game is a member of the connection game family, including such game as Hex, Crossway or Chain Lightning .

Players take turns placing a piece of their colour at an empty cell. After each move, any same-coloured groups with no freedom (i.e. no adjacent empty board cell) are captured and removed. A player win by making a line of five or more pieces of their colour.

All versions of non-tournament play Pente are rated here. Included in here are the out of the box play without the initial piece placement restriction found in the tournament Pente, also tracked by IAGO. For rules to Pente, see here: http://www.pente.net/instructions.html

Phutball (short for Philosopher's Football) is a two-player board game described in Elwyn Berlekamp, John Horton Conway, and Richard Guy's Winning Ways for your Mathematical Plays.

It is a soccer-esque game for 2 players where you attempt to get the ball across your opponent's goal line.

Pikemen is an Icehouse game. Pieces are warriors with long spears known as "Pikes." Each turn a Pikeman may charge in the direction he is pointing and then reorient his pike in a different direction, including straight up for defense. The player who captures a number of enemy Pikemen first wins.

This implementation also provides for longer games by allowing one to choose 15 and 20 point games.

Pods is a two-player board game invented by Vincent Everaert in 2010

A Mancala variant by Ralf Gerring.

This 2-player abstract is played on an 11x11 board. Attacks are initiated by 'squaring' your opponent, or in other words, forming a rectangle with 3 of your pieces and one of your opponent's. Doing so converts the squared piece to your colour. You win by either converting all but two of your opponent's checkers or by occupying the three centre squares on your opponent's far row. This game won the Mensa Society's "Mensa Select" award in 1993.

Realm is a wonderful and unique two-person abstract strategy game. It involves capturing territory and blocking and immobilizing the other player's pieces. New pieces are generated and added to the game as the game progresses, and strategy and objectives dramatically change through the course of the game. A few rules generate a game of great complexity and depth.

Renju is a game in the 5 in a row family, with its own unique set of rules.

Rush is a territory game which is played with a Go set. Any size board with an odd number of rows and an odd number of columns can be substituted for the Go board. Play begins on an empty board, each player takes possession of a colour of stone, and places them on the board according to the rules until the board is full. The player with the most stones in the end wins.

SanQi is played on an initially-empty hexagonal board. Both players share a pool of red, blue and yellow stones.

The first player wins if there is a complete circle of six stones of one color, regardless of the condition of its center cell, at the end of that player's move. The second player wins if there is an orthogonal line of six or more stones of one color at the end of that player's turn. Either player wins if there is a simple triangle of six stones of one color at the end their particular move.

The objective of the game is to get four in a row, by players dropping checkers into a line. This game adds a unique twist by having both players select their moves simultaneously, then resolving. The end result of this change turns the game into more of a war of nerves, and gives it additional depth, even though it stops being a pure abstract strategy game in the process.

Slings & Stones is a unique 2-player abstract played on a chessboard. Each player has 4 slings and 12 stones and tries to eliminate his opponent by hurling stones at opposing slings.

The object of Sophia is to get 4 in a row of your own color, while you control a unique shape. When a piece is jumped over, it switches colors.

Splut! is a 2-4 players abstract board game that was invented by Tommy De Coninck in 2009.

Slash is a connection game played on a Go board. Players try to connect opposite edges of the board but connections in the NW or SE directions do not count.

Stavropol Bashni is a variant of the game Bashni, whose rules are almost the same as in Bashni. The only difference is that each player can choose between moving his own stacks or the stacks of his opponent.

This is the same as normal Anglo-American Checkers, except the object is to get all your pieces capture, rather than capture all your opponent's pieces.

This is the same as normal Russian Checkers (Shashki), except the object is to get all your pieces capture, rather than capture all your opponent's pieces.

Taacoca was invented by Víkingur Fjalar Eiríksson in 2009, and is a is a two-player game that is played on a hexagonal board.

Talpa is a two-player abstract board game invented by Arty Sandler in 2010. This game is a member of the connection game family, including such games as Hex, Crossway or Chain Lightning .

This game also goes by the name "Russian Chess" and is combination of standard Chess and Bashni (Russian Checkers with piece stacking).

I don't find this game on any partner website. Should we delete it?

Virus Wars is a two-player ancient board game that simulates an evolution of two colonies of viruses, which are growing and absorbing (zombifying) each other. The exact origin of the game is unknown but it was actively played as a paper-and-pencil game in Saint Petersburg State University in 80s.

Description is from the IG Game Center web page: http://www.iggamecenter.com/info/en/viruswars.html

A 2-player abstract strategy game in the vein of Pente or Othello. Four types of stones are arrayed on a 9x9 board: earthstones, suns, moons, and crowns. One player plays the suns, and the other player plays the moons. Players take turns removing stones or groups of stones from the board. A player may make one of three moves: (a) removing one earthstone, (b) removing one of their own stones, or (c) removing all of the stones in an unbroken line between two empty board spaces. Players score based on the type of stone removed: 1 point for an earthstone, 2 points for an opposing player's stone, and 5 points for a crown. The first player to reach 50 points wins.

Xiangqi originated in China, and commonly goes by the name "Chinese Chess" in English. It is in the same family as Chess and Shogi, which involves the capture or neutralizing of a King (or King-like piece). Unique features of Xiangqi include: a river in the middle of the board, restricting movement of a player's general (like a King in Western Chess) to a small area on its side of a board, and a Cannon piece that uses a leaping move to capture enemy pieces.

You win Yavalath by either getting 4 in a row, or forcing your opponent to get 3 in a row without getting 4 in a row.