LOA Rules

Lines of Action (LOA) is played on an 8×8 board by two sides, Black and White. Each side has twelve pieces at its disposal. It is a two-person zero-sum game with perfect information. LOA is a connection game, albeit non-typical. Claude Soucie invented it around 1960. Sid Sackson (1969) described it in his first edition of A Gamut of Games. At the sixth Computer Olympiad the LOA rules were made immutable for this tournament. They are as stated below in point 1 to 10.

Warning: in some books, magazines or websites rules 2, 8,9, and 10 can be different from what is specified here! The Olympiad organisation is using the rules, which were used at the MSO World Championship of 2000.

  1. The black pieces are placed in two rows along the top and bottom of the board, while the white pieces are placed in two files at the left and right side of the board (see Diagram 1).

    Diagram 1: Board set-up.

    Diagram 2: A terminal position.

     

  2. The players alternately move, starting with Black.
  3. A player to move must move one of its pieces. A move takes place in a straight line (along files, ranks, or diagonals), exactly as many squares as there are pieces of either colour anywhere along the line of movement.
  4. A player may jump over its own pieces, but not land on them.
  5. A player may not jump over the opponent's pieces, but can capture them by landing on them.
  6. The goal of a player is to form one connected group with all of its pieces. The first player to do so is the winner. Connected pieces are on squares that are adjacent, either orthogonally or diagonally (see Diagram 2).
  7. A single piece is a connected group.
  8. If a move simultaneously creates a single connected unit for both players, it is a draw.
  9. If a player cannot move, this player has to pass.
  10. If a position with the same player to move occurs for the third time, the game is drawn.

Breakthrough Rules

  1. The two front and two back rows are filled with with white and black pieces, respectively.
  2. The two players alternatingly move one of their pieces straight or diagonally forward, onto an empty square of the board.
  3. Two pieces cannot occupy the same square. However, players can capture the opponent’s pieces by moving onto their square in diagonal direction only.
  4. The game is won by the player who succeeds first at reaching the home row of his opponent.

Clobber Rules

Clobber is played on a m×n rectangular board, where black and white stones are placed in a checkerboard fashion.
  1. Players move alternately starting with black.
  2. A player can make a move if he has a stone on a square with a neighbouring square occupied by an opposing stone. The move consists of removing the opponent's stone from the board and replacing it with the player's own one.
  3. The player who cannot move, loses.

Domineering Rules

  1. The players alternately place a domino on a board. The first player places them vertical, the second player places them horizontal.
  2. The player who cannot move, loses.

Knightthrough Rules

  1. The two front and two back rows are filled with white and black knights, respectively.
  2. The two players alternatingly move their pieces as knights, but only forward.
  3. The players can capture their opponent’s pieces by landing on them.
  4. The game is won by the player who succeeds first at reaching the home row of his opponent.

 

Surakarta Rules

  1. Players take turns moving one of their own pieces.
  2. For non-capturing moves, a piece travels - either along a line or diagonally - to a neighbouring intersection.
  3. For a capturing move, a piece travels along a line, travelling over at least one loop, until it meets one of the opponent pieces. The captured piece is removed, and the capturing piece takes its place.
  4. The first player to capture all of their opponent's pieces wins.
  5. Draws are possible by either repetition or lack of progress.