Snex

Introduction:Snex is a connection game for two players: Black and White. It is played on the intersections (points) of an initially empty square board. The top and bottom edges of the board are colored black; the left and right edges are colored white. The recommended size is 8 points per side, though 6 and 10 are also valid. Each player has access to a sufficient supply of stones of their own color. Definitions: A snake is a maximal set of stones of the same color connected orthogonally, such that it does not form 2×2 blocks. A single stone is also a snake. A hatchling of a snake is a subset of stones connected orthogonally within a snake. A snake may contain multiple hatchlings. A single stone inside a snake is also a hatchling. An end of a snake or hatchling is a stone orthogonally adjacent to no more than one stone of that same snake or hatchling. A snake or hatchling may have one or two ends. The head of a snake or hatchling is the end closest to an edge or a corner of the board. The other end is the tail. A crosscut is a configuration in a 2×2 area of points on the board containing exactly two white stones and two black stones, placed so that stones of the same color occupy opposite diagonals of that area. Turns:Black plays first, and then turns alternate. On your turn, perform one of the following actions: Place a stone of your color on an empty point in such a way that it forms a valid snake or hatchling. Move one end of a friendly snake to a point adjacent to its other end, either empty or occupied by an enemy stone. If you occupy an enemy point, the displaced stone moves in the same way as the end of its own snake or hatchling toward its other end, as long as the snake or hatchling that pushes is longer than the snake or hatchling that is pushed. At the end of your turn, there must be no crosscuts. If one or more are formed when moving a snake, you must undo exactly one of them at each step, even if a new one appears, and continue doing so until none remain. A serpentine move is valid only if, as a result, the head of at least one of the involved snakes or hatchlings ends up closer to the edge or corner than before. End of the game:The winner is the player who connects their two sides of the board with a snake of their own stones. To balance the game, before starting, the first player places a black stone on an empty point and the second player chooses a side. This balancing method is called the pie rule. —description from the designer