The Rules of Pente

Object of the Game

On a 19x19 board, the two players of pente try to be the first to create a line of 5 or more stones in a row of their color *or* try to capture 5 pairs of their opponents stones. You capture a pair of stones any time you sandwich the stones between a pair of your stones.

Movement Rules

On your turn, you place a piece of your colour wherever you desire on the board.

          A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T 
      19  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  19
      18  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  18
      17  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  17
      16  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  16
      15  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15
      14  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  14
      13  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13
      12  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12
      11  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  11
      10  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10
       9  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
       8  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
       7  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
       6  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
       5  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
       4  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
       3  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
       2  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
       1  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   1
          A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T 

              Figure 1 -- Empty Pente Board

Tournament rules stipulate that Ohs first move goes to K10, and that Ohs next move *not* be within 2 spaces of the piece at K10.

Eks has no movement restrictions.

Capture Examples

        . . . . . .        . . . . . .
        . . . . x .        . . . . x .
        . . . o . .        . . . . . .
        . . o . . .   =>   . . . . . .
        . A o o x .        . x . . x .
        . . . . . .        . . . . . .

An 'x' piece placed at A results in the capture of 2 pairs of Ohs men.

        . . . . . .        . . . . . .
        . . . . x .        . . . . x .
        . . . o . .        . . . o . .
        . . B . . .   =>   . . o . . .
        . x . . . .        . x . . . .
        . . . . . .        . . . . . .

An 'o' piece placed at B does *not* result in the capture of a pair of Ohs men. Eks must do the "sandwich"ing to capture the Ohs men.

In the multi-player version, you may sandwich any two stones that do not belong to you. They do not have to be stones belonging to the same opponent.