Trax (game)
Encyclopedia
Trax is a two-player abstract strategy game
of loops and lines invented by David Smith
in 1980.
The game is played with a set of identical square tiles. One side of the tile has red and white straight lines and the other red and white curves.
The reigning world champion is Donald Bailey an engineering professor at Massey University in New Zealand
. With the exception of a loss in the 1994 final, he has won every Trax world championship since 1990.
If a tile played in any turn forms an adjacent space or spaces into which same coloured track enters from two edges, that same player must play a further tile into each such space so as to join up the same coloured track, be it white or red, as part of that turn. A forced play may itself require further forced plays to be made. A turn is not complete until the only remaining spaces are either single edged spaces or two edged spaces entered by track of both colours.
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
of loops and lines invented by David Smith
David Smith
-In sports:* Dai Smith , rugby league footballer of the 1900s, who played for Salford, and Other Nationalities* David Smith , South African Olympic sport shooter...
in 1980.
The game is played with a set of identical square tiles. One side of the tile has red and white straight lines and the other red and white curves.
History
Trax was invented in 1980 and first published in the United States in 1982. Originally the tiles were made out of cardboard and were red with black and white lines. As the game became more popular the tiles were changed to high density plastic. The change to black tiles with red and white lines took place in 2005.The reigning world champion is Donald Bailey an engineering professor at Massey University in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. With the exception of a loss in the 1994 final, he has won every Trax world championship since 1990.
Gameplay
Players place tiles adjacent to those already in play such that the colours of the tracks match. The objective is to get a loop or line of your colour while attempting to stop your opponent from completing a loop in their colour.If a tile played in any turn forms an adjacent space or spaces into which same coloured track enters from two edges, that same player must play a further tile into each such space so as to join up the same coloured track, be it white or red, as part of that turn. A forced play may itself require further forced plays to be made. A turn is not complete until the only remaining spaces are either single edged spaces or two edged spaces entered by track of both colours.
See also
- TantrixTantrixTantrix is a hexagonal tile-based abstract game invented by Mike McManaway from New Zealand. Each of the 56 different tiles in the set contains three lines, going from one edge of the tile to another. No two lines on a tile have the same colour. There are four colours in the set: red, yellow,...
, a connection game played with similar tiles but different gameplay - Black Path GameBlack Path GameThe Black Path Game is a two-player board game described and analysed in Winning Ways for your Mathematical Plays. It was invented by Larry Black in 1960.-Rules:...
External links
- Trax at Colour of Strategy
- Play online at Boardspace.netBoardSpace.netBoardspace.net is the online home of a wide array of strategy games. Some are well known in the gaming community others are obscure by almost anyone's standards. The primary goal of the site is to promote real time games between two humans. Most games have robots you can play and use for learning...
- Free trax puzzle book