Games From Around the World That Can Be Played on a Go Board
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If you're anything like me, you're likely intrigued by the ancient Chinese game of go (围棋 wéiqí), yet baffled by the rules. However, the simplicity of the board makes it particularly versatile and there are dozens, if not hundreds, of two-player games that can be played with a go board and its game pieces. It provides ample opportunity, then, to pass the time with a roommate or partner at home in this trying period. Best of all, small go boards or gobang (五子棋 wǔzǐqí) boards can be purchased at many convenience shops in Beijing.
Below is a list of seven games from different countries that can be played on an 11x11 board. The games vary in complexity and are ordered from least to the most complex, so whether you are an experienced gamer or just looking for something new, there is a game for you.
Five-field kono is essentially a simpler version of Chinese checkers (跳棋 tiàoqí), but without jumping over the pieces.
The starting position for five-field kono. The game is played on a 5x5 board, so I have used pencils to demarcate the board edges.
Players take turns moving the pieces diagonally along the lines. Pieces move one square at a time.
Play continues until one player gets all of their pieces to their opponent's starting position
Invented in 2000 by American game designer Dan Troyka, breakthrough has been praised for its incredibly simple rules that enable sophisticated strategy.
The starting position of breakthrough. Note that this game can be played on any sized board as long as you have enough pieces to fill the first two rows on both sides.
Pieces always move forward or diagonally forward one square at a time
Pieces can capture other pieces by landing on them. Again, pieces can be taken by moving forward or diagonally forward one square onto an opponents piece.
The game ends when one player reaches the opposite end of the board, thus claiming victory
Also known as pente in the United States, ninuki-renju is a five-in-a-row game like gobang, but also allows players to capture their opponent's pieces.
Players take turns placing pieces on the board one at a time. A player can capture and remove an opponent's pieces by by surrounding EXACTLY two of their pieces on both sides.
Your pieces are NOT captured if you place them between two of your opponent's pieces yourself
A player can win either by placing five pieces in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) as pictured here OR by capturing five pairs of their opponent's pieces
Lines of action was invented by Canadian Claude Soucie in the 1980s and later gained popularity in European gaming circles.
The opening position of lines of action. Note that the game is played on an 8x8 board and pieces may not move outside of those dimensions.
Pieces can move vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Pieces always move EXACTLY as many spaces there are pieces on the line in which it is moving. That means that the first move will always move two spaces.
Now this black piece can move three spaces, because there are two other pieces on its line
Players can capture opponent pieces by landing on them. However, capturing pieces also means that your opponent will have less pieces that they need to connect.
Here is an example of a winning move. The white piece has no other pieces on this diagonal line, so it can move one space to connect to the other white pieces and claim victory.
A sort of "Viking chess,” hnefetafl and similar tafl games were very popular in Scandanavia for hundreds of years.
Note that the game is traditionally played with pieces inside the squares, but here I play on the lines for the full 11x11 space.
Additional Pieces:
An object to use as the king
Tape to mark the castles and throne (optional)
Goal:
White - Let the king escape to one of the four castles at the corners of the board
Black - Capture the king
The starting position of hnefetafl. The center piece is the king, while the tape markings indicate the castles, to which the white king must escape.
Black always plays first. All pieces, including the king, move horizontally and vertically, like the rooks in chess. Pieces may not jump over any other pieces. An individual pawn is captured if an opponent surrounds it on two sides. (Note, the king CANNOT be used to capture pawns in this way.)
Additional note: pawns cannot land on the castles or on the king's throne, the center space where the king starts. They can, however, pass over the throne.
Pawns can also be captured against the castles
Additionally, pawns can be captured against the king's throne
Multiple pieces can be captured at the same time
However, a piece is not captured if a player moves it between two opponent pieces themselves.
White can claim victory by moving the king to any of the four castles
Black can claim victory by capturing the king. However, the king must be captured on all four sides, as depicted here. If the king is against a wall, only three pieces are needed to capture it.
Leave it to Spain to make a board game out of fútbol.
Note that these rules have been slightly simplified from the original Mastergoal rules, which include more lines on the board demarcating the goal box.
Additional pieces:
Two objects to use as goalies
An object to use as the ball
Tape to mark the goal (optional)
The Mastergoal starting position. The chess pawns represent the goalies, while the 5-space goal is marked by tape. The black and white pieces are the players and the coin represents the ball.
A player piece (including goalies) can move one to two spaces in a turn. If a player has taken control of the ball after moving, it must then kick the ball one to four spaces in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). The ball can be kicked over any other player except the goalies. If the player piece manages to pass the ball to another player piece on the same team, that piece may also kick the ball. Up to four passes are permitted before the opposing player is allowed to move one of their pieces.
After a player piece is moved, if an equal number of both teams' peaces are next to the ball (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), then players take turns moving pieces until one team has more player pieces bordering the ball.
Whenever the ball lands on a space next to a goalie, the goalie automatically catches the ball. A goalie next to a ball always has control of the ball, even if opponent players are also next to it.
Here, the black team scores a goal by kicking the ball into the goal when the goalie cannot reach it.
TWRS is a game of towers and territory by Dutch game designer Martyn F.
Additional Pieces: Three to six small objects to represent the towers.
The starting position of TWRS. Green pawns are the starting player's towers, while the yellow pawns represent the second player's towers. (Alternatively, the black go pieces could be used as one player's towers.) The white pieces are the marking stones.
Each turn, a player may move one of their towers. Towers can move anywhere along the vertical or horizontal axes like rooks in chess, but may not pass any other towers or marking stones. In this image, the green lines represent the possible first moves for the the green player.
After moving, the player may (or may not) place one to two marker stones where the moved tower intersects with the opponent‘s tower(s). In this example, green has moved a tower downwards and may now choose to place marker stones in the white circles.
Once towers have been isolated in a space with two or less towers of the same color and no opponent towers, they become "petrified" and can no longer move. Here, the towers in the red squares have all been petrified.
The game ends when one player can no longer move any of their towers. Players the calculate the score by counting the number of intersections that their towers control. Here, green occupies 46 intersections, while yellow occupies 44. Therefore, green claims victory.
With these games under your belt, there's no reason to lose your competitive edge while sitting idly at home.
READ: Bored to Death? How to Taobao Your New Stay-At-Home Hobby
Images: Pinterest, Joey Knotts