Gonnect
Encyclopedia
Gonnect is an abstract strategy board game
invented by João Pedro Neto in 2000. The game is played with standard go equipment
, and basically uses the same rules as go, however the goal of the game is to construct a group that connects any two opposite sides. Seen from a superficial point of view Gonnect belongs to the family of games commonly called connection game
s; its relatives include Hex
and Havannah
. However, the game mutates into a game of territory when played by skilled players (see strategy description given below).
The game is usually played on a 13x13 or 15x15 board. All the rules of go apply, except passing is not allowed. A player loses if they have no legal moves. The pie rule
is used to determine who goes first.
Games between skilled players often end up temporarily deadlocked, since the square go board allows a "four corners" configuration where neither side can strongly connect. However, since players can't pass, they eventually must start filling in the internal liberties of their groups. The player who has made the smallest amount of territory usually loses first, so building more territory than your opponent is a means of forcing a connection and winning.
Thus, a Gonnect game between similarly skilled opponents generally unfolds in two stages:
Although it requires similar tactics to Go, some players feel that Gonnect has a more interesting opening and endgame than Go. Most Go players, however, feel that the eye-filling stage of Gonnect is tedious and that the game lacks the simplicity and beautiful efficiency of Go.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
invented by João Pedro Neto in 2000. The game is played with standard go equipment
Games played with Go equipment
Many games can be played with Go equipment: a supply of white and black stones and a board with 19×19 intersections, other than Go and many more can be played with minor modification....
, and basically uses the same rules as go, however the goal of the game is to construct a group that connects any two opposite sides. Seen from a superficial point of view Gonnect belongs to the family of games commonly called connection game
Connection game
A connection game is a type of abstract strategy game in which players attempt to complete a specific type of connection with their pieces. This could involve forming a path between two or more goals, completing a closed loop, or connecting all of one's pieces so they are adjacent to each other....
s; its relatives include Hex
Hex (board game)
Hex is a board game played on a hexagonal grid, theoretically of any size and several possible shapes, but traditionally as an 11x11 rhombus. Other popular dimensions are 13x13 and 19x19 as a result of the game's relationship to the older game of Go...
and Havannah
Havannah
Havannah is an abstract strategy board game invented by Christian Freeling. It is played on a base-10 hexagonal board, ten hexes to a side...
. However, the game mutates into a game of territory when played by skilled players (see strategy description given below).
The game is usually played on a 13x13 or 15x15 board. All the rules of go apply, except passing is not allowed. A player loses if they have no legal moves. The pie rule
Pie rule
The pie rule, sometimes referred to as the swap rule, is a meta-rule used to balance abstract strategy board games. Its use has been first reported in 1909 for a game from the Mancala family. Among recent games, Hex uses this rule...
is used to determine who goes first.
Games between skilled players often end up temporarily deadlocked, since the square go board allows a "four corners" configuration where neither side can strongly connect. However, since players can't pass, they eventually must start filling in the internal liberties of their groups. The player who has made the smallest amount of territory usually loses first, so building more territory than your opponent is a means of forcing a connection and winning.
Thus, a Gonnect game between similarly skilled opponents generally unfolds in two stages:
- The board-filling stage where opponents race to connect sides until the position is deadlocked.
- The eye-filling stage where players must fill in their own eye space or destroy their opponent's.
Although it requires similar tactics to Go, some players feel that Gonnect has a more interesting opening and endgame than Go. Most Go players, however, feel that the eye-filling stage of Gonnect is tedious and that the game lacks the simplicity and beautiful efficiency of Go.