A - Games

---

8-Puzzle & 15-Puzzle

The 15-puzzle is a sliding puzzle with 15 numbered square tiles in a 4x4 frame, leaving one position empty. The 8-puzzle is a smaller 3x3 version.

Rules

• Objective: Arrange the tiles in numerical order.
• Movement: Tiles adjacent to the empty space (in the same row or column) can be slid into the empty position.

Checkers (Draughts)

Checkers is a two-player strategy game played on an 8x8 checkered board.

Riles

• Objective: Capture all of the opponent’s pieces or block them from making any legal moves.
• Setup: Each player starts with 12 pieces on the dark squares of the three rows closest to them.
• Movement:
  • Men (uncrowned pieces): Move one step diagonally forward.
  • Kings: When a man reaches the farthest row, it is “kinged” and can move diagonally forward and backward. In some variations, kings (“flying kings”) can move any number of squares along a diagonal.
• Capture: A piece captures an opponent’s piece by jumping over it to the adjacent empty square. Multiple jumps can be made in a single turn. Capturing is mandatory in most official rules.

Chess

Chess is a two-player strategy game played on an 8x8 checkered board.

RUles

• Objective: To checkmate the opponent’s king, meaning the king is in a position to be captured (“in check”) and cannot escape capture.
• Setup: Each player starts with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns.
• Movement: Each of the six types of pieces has a unique way of moving.
• Gameplay: Players alternate turns, moving one piece at a time. A move can be to an empty square or to a square occupied by an opponent’s piece, which is then captured.
• Special Moves:
  • Castling: A special move involving the king and one of the rooks.
  • En Passant: A special pawn capture.
  • Promotion: A pawn that reaches the opposite side of the board is promoted to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.

Backgammon

Backgammon is a two-player game involving both luck and strategy, played on a board with 24 narrow triangles called points.

Rules

• Objective: To be the first player to move all 15 of their pieces (checkers) off the board.
• Setup: Each player starts with 15 checkers distributed in a specific arrangement on the board.
• Movement:
  • Players roll two dice to determine how many points, or “pips,” they can move their checkers. The numbers on the two dice can be used to move two different checkers or one checker twice.
  • If a player rolls doubles, they play the numbers on the dice twice. For example, a roll of 5-5 means the player can make four moves of five spaces each.
• Hitting: A single checker on a point is called a “blot.” If an opponent’s checker lands on a blot, the blot is “hit” and placed on the bar in the middle of the board.
• Re-entering: A player with a checker on the bar must re-enter it into the opponent’s home board before moving any other checkers. The number on the die corresponds to the point on which the checker can re-enter.
• Bearing Off: Once a player has moved all of their 15 checkers into their home board, they can begin “bearing off” or removing them from the board. A checker can be borne off by a roll of the die that corresponds to the point it is on.
• Doubling Cube: Most games involve a doubling cube, which is used to raise the stakes of the game.


Poker & Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em is a popular variant of poker where players aim to make the best five-card hand.

Rules

• Objective: To win the pot, which contains all the bets made during a hand. This is achieved either by having the best hand at the showdown or by having all other players fold.
• Gameplay:
  1. Hole Cards: Each player is dealt two private cards face down.
  2. Betting Rounds: There are four rounds of betting: pre-flop, after the flop, after the turn, and after the river.
  3. Community Cards: Five community cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table.
     • The Flop: The first three community cards.
     • The Turn: The fourth community card.
     • The River: The fifth and final community card.
  4. Showdown: If two or more players remain after the final betting round, they reveal their hands. The player with the best five-card hand, made from any combination of their two-hole cards and the five community cards, wins the pot.

Breakthrough

Breakthrough is a two-player abstract strategy game played on an 8x8 board.

Rules

• Objective: To be the first player to get one of their pieces to the opponent’s home row (the row farthest from the player).
• Setup: Each player starts with 16 pieces filling the two rows closest to them.
• Movement: A piece can move one space forward, either straight or diagonally, to an empty square.
• Capture: A piece can capture an opponent’s piece by moving one space diagonally forward to the square occupied by the opponent’s piece. The captured piece is removed from the board. Capturing is not mandatory.