LINES OF ACTION

Hey there! Let me tell you about this awesome game called Lines of Action. It was created by Claude Soucie and it’s all about strategy. In this game, two players are up against each other, trying to be the first to get their pieces to form one continuous line. Sounds simple, right? Well, think again! As the game goes on, each move becomes a puzzle, and tactics are the name of the game. In fact, Lines of Action is played at the Mind Sports Olympiad, and it even got a Spiel Des Jahres recommendation back in 1988!

MATERIALS & SETUP

To play the game, you’ll need an 8×8 checkerboard and a full set of checkers. Each player will also need twelve checkers of their own color.

Setting up the board is really easy. Each player places six checkers of their color on two opposite edge rows. And don’t forget—leave the four corner squares empty!

As soon as you’ve set up the checkers, you’re ready to start playing the game.

HOW TO PLAY

Overall, Lines of Action is a pretty easy game to learn. The pieces can move in any direction: sideways, diagonally, or up and down. And they can move as many spaces as there are checkers in the line they want to move to. So, for example, if you want to move a piece diagonally, you move it as many spaces as there are checkers in that diagonal line.

In example A, I moved my white piece diagonally two spaces. You see, there were only two pieces in the diagonal line it was going to travel, so that’s how far it went. Now, in example B, my white piece moved three spaces because there were three pieces in the row it was about to travel on. It even went right through another white piece of mine!

But here’s the thing: checkers can’t just move through an opponent’s piece. No way! However, they can land on it and capture it. On the other hand, a player can totally move through their own piece to finish their move. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, let’s talk about how the game starts. It all depends on who’s got control of the black checkers. The players take turns, moving one checker of their color on each turn. The first player to get all their checkers in a line, no matter how they’re positioned, wins the whole shebang!

Oh, and here’s a little trick for you. If someone loses all their checkers except for one, the game is automatically over, and they’re the winner. Just like that! So keep an eye out for that situation.

In the game, if both players manage to create continuous lines at the same time, whoever is currently taking their turn will win.

THE VICTORY

The game will be won by the first player who is successful in forming their checkers into an uninterrupted line.