Games of Soldiers

PYRAMIDA

Copyright (c) ? Zbysek Vlasak

This game is played on the following board:

TURNS - At each turn, each player moves a friendly stone.:

Stones move to one diagonally adjacent empty cell (forward or backward).

A stone is removed if it reaches the pyramid top (cell k14).

ATTACKS - There are no captures, but enemy stones can be delayed in two ways:

By contact: If a stone moves forwards to a cell adjacent to an enemy
stone, then this stone moves diagonally backwards to an empty cell.

If the enemy stone cannot retreat (because both cells are occupied) the actual player gets an extra move.

By column: if there are exactly one black and one white stone at a
column, the higher stone can be attacked. If the other player moves one
stone forward to that column, the upper stone is placed in an empty cell on the lowest row of that column (which is accessible by a sequence of moves: in a chess-like board, the game only uses black squares).

If the enemy stone cannot retreat (it was at the fifth row) the current player gets an extra move.

If both attacks occur in a single move, column attacks takes precedence
over contact attacks. That is, the player only executes the column retreat. If that retreat is not possible, he executes the contact retreat. If that retreat is also not possible, the player gets an extra move.

LAST STONE - If a player only has one stone, it may move one or two cells (mover's choice) and may retreat one or two cells after an attack by contact (attacker's choice).

GOAL - Wins the player that removes all friendly stones.

If a player repeats a position by the third time, he loses.

I have some doubts about the original rules. I think there should be an exception about initial attacks by contact between the second and first row (or else, the attacks would begin immediately, with an obvious advantage for the first player).

When the player gets an extra move due to an attack, that next move should or should not produce attacks? I'm not sure about the best option. If the answer is yes, a chain reaction of attacks is possible.

Attacks by contact
Black's turn. If he moves the marked black stone into [1] an attack by contact occurs: the marked white stone must retreat to [2].

Attacks by contact
In this similar move, the marked white stone cannot retreat, and so Black gain an extra move. He may move any friendly stone (including the marked one).

Attacks by contact
An attack by contact can be at a stone in a upper position.
If the black stone moves to [1] the marked white stone must move to [2].

Attacks by column
The 'd' column only has two stones, so the upper stone (the marked white stone) is vulnerable to attack.

If Black moves the marked black stone to [1], the white stone must retreat to [2] (the accessible cell in the lowest possible row).

I wish to thank Lada Urbanová for this game information.

	Attacks by contact Black's turn. If he moves the marked black stone into [1] an attack by contact occurs: the marked white stone must retreat to [2].
	Attacks by contact In this similar move, the marked white stone cannot retreat, and so Black gain an extra move. He may move any friendly stone (including the marked one).
	Attacks by contact An attack by contact can be at a stone in a upper position. If the black stone moves to [1] the marked white stone must move to [2].
	Attacks by column The 'd' column only has two stones, so the upper stone (the marked white stone) is vulnerable to attack. If Black moves the marked black stone to [1], the white stone must retreat to [2] (the accessible cell in the lowest possible row).