Game Overview

The Two-Player Game

Beginning the game:

Each player has men on the thirteen diamonds in his corner before play begins as illustrated in Figure 1. The red color always plays first.

Winning the game:

Be the first player to...

• place any of your men on your opponent's cornermost diamond

           or

• eliminate by capture all thirteen of your opponent's men.

Movement of the men:

A man may be moved in a forward, diagonal, or sideward direction either one or two diamonds. A man may not be moved in a backward direction. See Figure 2 in which the arrow represents red's direction of travel.

Any of the ten diamonds occupied by the uncolored men are possible landing sites for the red man. So, unless a man is near the edge of the board, the range of movement (or simply the "range") consists of ten diamonds.

Exception: A man may not be moved onto the top of another man of the same color; men cannot be stacked. However a man can jump over another man of the same color. See Figure 3. Either of the red men may jump to the diamond occupied by the uncolored man.

Capture and Commitment:

In the game of KORNERS, a player must capture his opponent's man if it is possible. Capture does NOT take place by jumping as in CHECKERS, but rather by occupying the same diamond as the captured man as in CHESS. If any player places a man within the range of any of his opponent's men, then that player has committed his man to be captured by his opponent on his opponent's next turn. It often happens that an opponent may capture with more than one of his men. Then he may choose any of these men with which to capture, as long as he does capture.

Strategy:

• As in checkers and chess, try to control the center of the board.
• Never challenge your opponent with an unprotected man.
• Look for opportunities to bypass your opponent. There is no equivalent to "en passant" in the game of KORNERS. Thus in Figure 4, the red man may slide between the blue defenders.