Games of Kings and Soldiers

PASANG

Traditional - Brunei

Pasang is played on the following board:

The diagonal lines does not have any relevance in the game rules, they are just helpful to arrange one of the traditional setups. Here are two of them:

SETUP - Both players agree on the stone setup. They also agree if the Kas are chosen by slide or jump (read second phase).

FIRST PHASE - The first player captures a column of five stones from his half of the board.

If the first player chooses the central column, the second player may choose to remove any of his columns except the central one

If the first player chooses another column, the second player must choose a column from the diagonally opposite sector (check the first sample diagram).

SECOND PHASE

If the players decided to choose by slide, then each player selects a stone horizontally adjacent to his empty cells and move it to the adjacent empty cell. This stone is the Ka.

If the players decided to choose by jump, then each player selects a stone horizontally adjacent to the column adjacent to his empty cells and jump over a stone to the next empty cell. This stone is the Ka.

When the Ka moves to the empty cell (by slide or by jump) it must execute a capture (like in the third phase below).

THIRD PHASE - On each turn, each player moves his Ka. The Ka slides orthogonally thru one or more empty cells into a cell where it will form a line with an odd number of stones of the same color, capturing them.

This line may be separated with empty cells, but not with stones of a different color (which includes the enemy Ka).

If more than one of line is formed, the player may choose one (and just one).

There is another restriction: if the Ka slides vertically, the captured line must be horizontal. if the Ka slides horizontally, the captured line must be vertical.

GOAL - A player wins by:

stalemating the opponent (i.e., leaving him with no valid moves while there are still black or white stones onboard) or

having the highest score when all stones are captured.

A first phase example
First player removed the 5 stones of the third column (3 whites and 2 blacks = 8 points).
Now the second player must remove 5 stones from his own side from the diagonally opposite sector (i.e., from column 'g' to 'k').
If he chooses the marked stones (column 'j') he will get 9 points (4 whites and 1 black stone).
[check next]

A second phase example
If the player choose to select the Ka by slide, then the marked stones are the ones that may be selected (because Ka must execute a capture when it moves to the empty cell).
[check next]

Ka selection and move
The first player choose the Ka (the blue stone) and moved it selecting the three upper black stones to remove (earning 3 points).
Then, the second player also choose the Ka (the red stone) and moved it to the empty cell, selecting the three right white stone to capture (earning 6 points).

[check next]

Third Phase
The first player moved the Ka and captured another three black stones (3 more points).
Then the second player moved his Ka to the right capturing 5 black stones (5 points). Next turn, he cannot move south to capture the five white stones because the movement would be vertical and that group is also vertical.

An endgame
In this position, the score is 85-89 (the second player - the red Ka - is winning).
However, if the first player moves to [1] (capturing the black stone) he will win by stalemate: the red Ka cannot move and there is still one white stone left.

Another endgame
Second player's turn. He moves his red Ka to [1] capturing the black marked stone. The first player can only move to [2] capturing the black stone at b6.
Then, the red Ka moves to a5 (capturing b5) and wins by stalemate.

The rule-set is a bit lengthy (especially to describe the first two phases) but the game is worth the try.
There's a ZRF and a Ludii file to play the game. There is also a software to play Pasang made by Pg Nor Jaidi Bin Pg Tuah.
Here's the reference from Jean-Marie Lhôte's Histoire des Jeux de Société (1994)

and its (automated) translation:

Pasang
Strategy game by confrontation
Brunei

Variant of Alquerque.

In Pasang, the board consists of an 11 × 11 grid of cells. At the center, a square of nine cells is neutralized, leaving it empty; twelve cells remain. The two diagonals of the square are marked. Fifty-six white stones are worth 2 points each, fifty-six black stones are worth 1 point each.

At the beginning of the game, one player arranges the stones in the cells as they wish, observing symmetries and forming patterns that carry traditional names. The simplest arrangement consists of alternating black and white stones regularly.

Two, three, or four players can participate. The game proceeds clockwise. The first player removes one of the four stones located in a corner of the central square. The captures then begin from this move.

Captures are made by jumping over a stone to land in an empty cell, horizontally or vertically, except for the stones located on the marked diagonals. The captured piece is removed from play and kept by the player. Captures can be chained, provided the number is odd (if four stones can be jumped, the player is forced to stop at three).

A player is not obliged to make all possible captures in one move.

When no more captures can be made, each player counts their points according to the colors of the stones captured. The winner is the one with the highest score.

Pasang offers an elegant and rare solution for a strategy game with more than two players.

Cross-references: Alquerque, Draughts.
Ref.: Bell, 1973 and 1981.

The game is also described in Bell's Discovering Old Board Games (1973).

	A first phase example First player removed the 5 stones of the third column (3 whites and 2 blacks = 8 points). Now the second player must remove 5 stones from his own side from the diagonally opposite sector (i.e., from column 'g' to 'k'). If he chooses the marked stones (column 'j') he will get 9 points (4 whites and 1 black stone). [check next]
	A second phase example If the player choose to select the Ka by slide, then the marked stones are the ones that may be selected (because Ka must execute a capture when it moves to the empty cell). [check next]
	Ka selection and move The first player choose the Ka (the blue stone) and moved it selecting the three upper black stones to remove (earning 3 points). Then, the second player also choose the Ka (the red stone) and moved it to the empty cell, selecting the three right white stone to capture (earning 6 points). [check next]
	Third Phase The first player moved the Ka and captured another three black stones (3 more points). Then the second player moved his Ka to the right capturing 5 black stones (5 points). Next turn, he cannot move south to capture the five white stones because the movement would be vertical and that group is also vertical.
	An endgame In this position, the score is 85-89 (the second player - the red Ka - is winning). However, if the first player moves to [1] (capturing the black stone) he will win by stalemate: the red Ka cannot move and there is still one white stone left.
	Another endgame Second player's turn. He moves his red Ka to [1] capturing the black marked stone. The first player can only move to [2] capturing the black stone at b6. Then, the red Ka moves to a5 (capturing b5) and wins by stalemate.