Hexwood

Setup

• Players: two: you and a bot. Dark moves first. Light moves second.
• Board: a diamond of 11 by 11 hexagonal cells.
• Sides: dark owns the top and bottom. Light owns the left and right.
• Stones: one placed on an empty cell each turn. They never move.

How to play

1. 1Dark places a stone. Dark goes first and puts one stone on any empty cell.
2. 2Light places, or swaps. On light’s first turn only, light may swap instead: the first stone becomes light’s and moves to its mirror cell, column and row exchanged. Then dark moves.
3. 3Then take turns. One stone a turn. There is no passing, and stones are never captured.
4. 4Link your stones. Two stones are linked when their cells share an edge. Each cell has six neighbours, and a chain can bend through any of them.
5. 5Join your two sides. The moment your chain touches both of your sides, you win. Corner cells count for both players.
6. 6Cut their chain. Place in the way of the other player’s chain. A chain that blocks them is a chain for you.

Winning

Be the first to build an unbroken chain of your stones from one of your sides to the other. There are no draws.

Scoring

A chain only counts if every stone is linked to the next, cell edge to cell edge, and it touches both of your sides. Corner cells belong to both players’ sides.

Key terms

Chain:

Stones of one colour, linked cell edge to cell edge.

Side:

One of the four edges of the board. Dark owns top and bottom, light owns left and right.

Neighbour:

A cell that shares an edge with another. Each has up to six.

Bridge:

Two stones with two shared empty neighbours. They are as good as linked.

Swap:

On the second player’s first turn, taking the first stone instead of placing one.

Mirror cell:

The cell with the column and row exchanged. A swapped stone moves there.