Gamehelpsensei

GOAL OF THE GAME

To be the first player to bring your character to the opponent's home row on the board.

PREPARATION

At the beginning of the game, players choose a version to play « Arashi » or « Sizukana », as explained below. The stones are placed in a line on two opposite edges on player's home row. Each player's character is placed on their middle stone.

HOW TO PLAY Each player has three choices on their turn. You must choose to perform at least one of the three following actions (in any order):

• move a stone of your color

• move a second stone of your color or move the first stone an additional space

• move your character

MOVE STONES - The stones move horizontally or vertically without changing direction (it is forbidden to move a stone diagonally) . So, to move a stone horizontally and vertically, you need to use two actions. Only one stone can be placed on each square stone. A stone with a character on it cannot move. A stone is stopped by an opponent's stone.

During each turn, a player can execute one or two movements of stones (the two movements can be made by the same stone). Movements may be made in any order. For instance, the movement of a character can be made between two movements of stones in one turn.

VERSION ARASHI or VERSION SHIZUKANA

  VERSION ARASHI - You can move your stones as many squares as you wish as long as the spaces are open (not blocked by your opponent), but always in only one direction.

  VERSION SHIZUKANA You can move your stones only one square.

NOTE: only one version is chosen for playing at the beginning of each game.

MOVE your CHARACTER - A character can move between two stones of their color and the length of the movement is not limited. IF:

  The two stones are aligned along the same line horizontally, vertically or diagonally;
  AND'
  there are no opponent's stones between their two stones.

UNFAIR GAME (ENDS THE GAME EARLY) - If a player blocks the game by creating a line that may not be crossed by the opponent's stones, then you may lose the game due to unfair game play if their opponent puts at least three stones in contact with the impassable line stones.

'NORMAL END OF THE GAME - The first player to bring their character onto one of their own color stones located on the opponent's home row wins the game.

--- VARIANT SHIZUKANA' - Rules are the same. Only the placement of the stones changes at the beginning of the game. Each player has two stones on the opponent's start line.

VARIANT ARASHI EXPERT (using on the opposite side of the board) The stones cannot move through or fall into the pits. However a player's character can move over the pits. In checking for UNFAIR GAME the pits are treated like uncrossable stones.