Alak (board game)
Alak is a close relative of the board game Go played on a one-dimensional "board".
It was originally described in A. K. Dewdney's 1984 book The Planiverse;
in 2001, Ko.
- If placing a stone causes one or two groups of enemy stones to no longer have any adjacent empty spaces--liberties, as in Go--then those stones are removed. As the above rule states, the opponent may not play in those locations on their following turn.
- If placing a stone causes one or two groups of your own colour to no longer have any liberties, the stones are not suicided, but instead are safe and not removed from play.
Play continues until a player cannot place a stone on their turn.
At this point, the number of stones on the board is counted; the winner is the one with the most stones.
Another game that can be played on a one-dimensional analogue of a Go board is Tanbo.
Reference
A Family for Go, Joao Pedro Nato and Bill Taylor. Abstract Games Magazine, Issue 13 (Spring 2003)
