Game of the Amazons
Encyclopedia
The Game of the Amazons is a two-player abstract strategy game
invented in 1988 by Walter Zamkauskas of Argentina
. It is a member of the territorial game family, a distant relative of Go
and chess
. El Juego de las Amazonas (The Game of the Amazons) is a trademark of Ediciones de Mente.
The Game of the Amazons is played on a 10x10 chessboard
(or an international checkerboard
). Some players prefer to use a monochromatic
board. The two players are White and Black; each player has four amazons
(not to be confused with the Amazon Fairy chess piece
), which start on the board in the configuration shown at right. A supply of markers (checkers, poker chips, etc.) is also required.
moves in chess
; it may not cross or enter a square occupied by an amazon of either color or an arrow. After moving, the amazon shoots an arrow from its landing square to another square, using another queenlike move. This arrow may travel in any orthogonal or diagonal direction (even backwards along the same path the amazon just traveled, into or across the starting square if desired). An arrow, like an amazon, cannot cross or enter a square where another arrow has landed or an amazon of either color stands. The square where the arrow lands is marked to show that it can no longer be used. The last player to be able to make a move wins. Draws are impossible.
Scores are sometimes used for tie-breaking purposes in Amazons tournaments. When scoring, it is important to note that although the number of moves remaining to a player is usually equal to the number of empty squares in the territories occupied by that player's amazons, it is nonetheless possible to have defective territories in which there are fewer moves left than there are empty squares. The simplest such territory is three squares of the same colour, not in a straight line, with the amazon in the middle (for example, a1+b2+c1 with the amazon at b2).
in the Argentine puzzle magazine El Acertijo (number 4, December 1992). An approved English translation was written by Michael Keller and an article first appeared in the chess magazine NOST-Algia. Other game publications also published the rules, and the game gathered a small but devoted following. The Internet spread the game more widely, and it is considered by many aficionados
to be one of the best and deepest abstract games.
Michael Keller wrote the first computer program to play the Game of the Amazons in 1994 (in Fortran
with a text interface; a later version was written in Visual Basic
; see References). Quite a few stronger programs have been written in recent years by various authors. There is usually an Amazons tournament at the annual Computer Olympiad
.
An authorized version of the game appears in the Transpose collection by Kadon Enterprises.
Abstract strategy game
An abstract strategy game is a strategy game, aiming to minimise luck, and without a theme. Almost all abstract strategy games will conform to the strictest definition of: a board or card game, in which there is no hidden information, no non-deterministic elements , in which two players or teams...
invented in 1988 by Walter Zamkauskas of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. It is a member of the territorial game family, a distant relative of Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
and chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. El Juego de las Amazonas (The Game of the Amazons) is a trademark of Ediciones de Mente.
The Game of the Amazons is played on a 10x10 chessboard
Chessboard
A chessboard is the type of checkerboard used in the board game chess, and consists of 64 squares arranged in two alternating colors...
(or an international checkerboard
Checkerboard
A checkerboard or chequerboard is a board of chequered pattern on which English draughts is played. It is an 8×8 board and the 64 squares are of alternating dark and light color, often red and black....
). Some players prefer to use a monochromatic
Monochrome
Monochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or shades of one color. A monochromatic object or image has colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white...
board. The two players are White and Black; each player has four amazons
Amazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
(not to be confused with the Amazon Fairy chess piece
Fairy chess piece
A fairy chess piece or unorthodox chess piece is a piece analogous to a chess piece. It is not used in conventional chess, but is used in certain chess variants and some chess problems...
), which start on the board in the configuration shown at right. A supply of markers (checkers, poker chips, etc.) is also required.
Rules
White moves first, and the players alternate moves thereafter. Each move consists of two parts: moving one of one's own amazons one or more empty squares in a straight line (orthogonally or diagonally), exactly as a queenQueen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
moves in chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
; it may not cross or enter a square occupied by an amazon of either color or an arrow. After moving, the amazon shoots an arrow from its landing square to another square, using another queenlike move. This arrow may travel in any orthogonal or diagonal direction (even backwards along the same path the amazon just traveled, into or across the starting square if desired). An arrow, like an amazon, cannot cross or enter a square where another arrow has landed or an amazon of either color stands. The square where the arrow lands is marked to show that it can no longer be used. The last player to be able to make a move wins. Draws are impossible.
Territory and Scoring
The strategy of the game is based on using arrows (as well as one's four amazons) to block the movement of the opponent's amazons and gradually wall off territory, trying to trap the opponents in smaller regions and gain larger areas for oneself. Each move reduces the available playing area, and eventually each amazon finds itself in a territory blocked off from all other amazons. The amazon can then move about its territory firing arrows until it no longer has any room to move. Since it would be tedious to actually play out all these moves, in practice the game usually ends when all of the amazons are in separate territories. The player with the largest amount of territory will be able to win, as the opponent will have to fill in her own territory more quickly.Scores are sometimes used for tie-breaking purposes in Amazons tournaments. When scoring, it is important to note that although the number of moves remaining to a player is usually equal to the number of empty squares in the territories occupied by that player's amazons, it is nonetheless possible to have defective territories in which there are fewer moves left than there are empty squares. The simplest such territory is three squares of the same colour, not in a straight line, with the amazon in the middle (for example, a1+b2+c1 with the amazon at b2).
History
El Juego de las Amazonas was first published in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
in the Argentine puzzle magazine El Acertijo (number 4, December 1992). An approved English translation was written by Michael Keller and an article first appeared in the chess magazine NOST-Algia. Other game publications also published the rules, and the game gathered a small but devoted following. The Internet spread the game more widely, and it is considered by many aficionados
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
to be one of the best and deepest abstract games.
Michael Keller wrote the first computer program to play the Game of the Amazons in 1994 (in Fortran
Fortran
Fortran is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative programming language that is especially suited to numeric computation and scientific computing...
with a text interface; a later version was written in Visual Basic
Visual Basic
Visual Basic is the third-generation event-driven programming language and integrated development environment from Microsoft for its COM programming model...
; see References). Quite a few stronger programs have been written in recent years by various authors. There is usually an Amazons tournament at the annual Computer Olympiad
Computer Olympiad
The Computer Olympiads are a multi-games event taking place every year in which computer programs compete against each other. The majority of the games are board games but other games such as Bridge take place as well...
.
An authorized version of the game appears in the Transpose collection by Kadon Enterprises.