Skift

Skift is an abstract strategy game for two players, ages 8 and up. Average playing time is 10 to 15 minutes. Outmaneuver your opponent by shifting your pieces and the board itself. Your objective: eliminate all of your opponent’s kings or pawns. Setup The game board consists of 9 square tiles, with each tile divided into 4 quadrants. Game pieces include 2 kings and 6 pawns per player. Arrange the 9 tiles in a 3×3 grid to form the board, then place the pieces in a checkerboard pattern around the center. Gameplay Assign a color to each player and randomly determine who goes first. Then take turns with your opponent, performing one of three actions on each turn – a piece move, a tile move or a tile rotation. Piece Moves Move any of your kings or pawns one quadrant orthogonally or diagonally in any direction, pushing along any pieces that lie in the way. You may move (and push) pieces from one quadrant to another within a tile or across tiles. Pieces pushed off the board are removed from the game. Tile Control The player with the most kings on a tile controls it. If the count is tied, the player with the most total pieces on the tile controls it. If the count is still tied, neither player controls the tile. Tile Moves Move any tile that you control one tile-length orthogonally (but not diagonally) in any direction, pushing along any tiles that lie in the way. Any pieces that occupy a moved tile simply move along with it, retaining their positions on the tile as it is moved. Tile Rotations Rotate any tile that you control 180 degrees. Any pieces that occupy a rotated tile simply move along with it, retaining their positions on the tile as it is rotated. The No-Undo Rule You may not undo your opponent’s last move. This means that: (a) if your opponent’s last move was a piece move, you may not move any piece back to the exact position it occupied immediately before that move, and (b) if your opponent’s last move was a tile move, you may not move any tile back to the exact position it occupied immediately before that move. Note: You cannot undo a tile rotation because you must control a tile to rotate it. Therefore, if your opponent rotates a tile, you cannot rotate it back unless you gain control of that tile on a future turn. The Landlocked Tile Rule You may not move or rotate a tile that is landlocked, meaning that it is surrounded by other tiles on all four orthogonal sides (north, south, east, and west). Tile Connectivity and Splintering All tiles must remain connected, either orthogonally or diagonally, meaning that each tile must share at least one side or one corner with another tile. If a player causes the tiles to splinter into two or more disconnected groups, the largest group of connected tiles remains; all other tiles are removed, along with any pieces occupying those tiles. In the case of a tie, the player who caused the splinter chooses which group remains. Suicide Moves You may make a move that results in your own pieces (or controlled tiles ) being removed from the board, even if no other pieces (or tiles) are captured. In other words, suicide moves are legal (and may be of strategic value in certain situations). Winning the Game You win the game if your opponent runs out of kings or pawns. However, if you run out of kings or pawns at the same time, the player with the most pieces remaining wins. In the case of a tie, the game ends in a draw. Click here for official rules and diagrams: https://splinterboardgame.blogspot.com/2025/07/skift-game-of-strategic-shifts-and.html —description from the designer