Lin

Lin is a drawless territory game for two players: Black and White. It is played on the intersections (points) of an odd-sized, initially empty square grid (board). Lin was inspired by Rin and Loops. DefinitionsA domain of one color is a set of orthogonally interconnected points that includes no points occupied by the opposite color. Thus, a black domain can include black stones and empty points but not white stones. A domain is alive if it includes a line of six orthogonally adjacent points in the same row or column. When the game is played on tiny boards, the required line length can be reduced. PlayBlack plays first, then turns alternate. On your turn, place a stone of your color on an empty point in a live domain of your color, then remove all enemy stones that are part of no live domains of their color. The game ends when every point on the board is part of a live domain of exactly one color. The player with the higher score in the final position wins. Your score is the number of points in live domains of your color, plus komi in the case of White. The button is used to avoid ties. Komi and buttonKomi is the whole number of points that is added to White's score at the end of the game as compensation for playing second. Before the game starts, the first player chooses the value of komi, and then the second player chooses sides. Alternatively, experienced players may agree on a standard value for all games. The button is a special token that is placed next to the board at the start of the game. It is only used when komi and the board size have the same parity (i.e. they are both odd or both even). On your turn, if neither player has taken the button yet, you may not pass, but you may take the button instead of making a board play. At the end of the game, a half point is added to the score of the player who has taken the button.