TOWER OF POWER

Copyright (c) 1976 Michael Baldwin

This game is played on a 8x8 square board with the following setup:

 

MOVE - On each turn, each player must do a stack then an unstack. STACK - Choose a line of 2 or more stones or stacks adjacent on a straight line (diagonal or orthogonal) and stack them on one of the edges of that line. If along that line, there are stacked stones, only the top stones participate in the stacking (and thus liberating the stone just below). UNSTACK - Take a stack and spread its stones into a straight line, one per cell (the bottom stone do not move). Any enemy stone just below one of the unstacked stones is captured. However, if one of these stones lands on an enemy stack only the top stone is captured, immobilizing the other below. An unstack cannot be made so that one or more stones would be placed off-board. An unstack cannot be made on the opposite direction of the last stack (the player cannot repeat the board position at the beginning of the turn). GOAL - Wins the player that captures or stalemates all enemy stones. If both players admit that they do not have enough material to win, the game is a draw.

This game was presented in Games and Puzzles in 1976 and also at Jeux et Strategie #39. Check also Ralf Gering's article about the game.

	An example White made a stack...
	... then unstacked to the north!