Help For Hexade

Introduction

Welcome to the network Hexade server. The rules of Hexade are below. The Hexade "challenge" command is described here. Other commands are the same for all pbmserv games.

hexade challenge [ -radius=N ] userid1 userid2

Start a new game between userid1 and userid2
N specifies the size of one side of the playing field. The default size is 10.

Note that Hexade only supports games with just two players.

You can find more information about Hexade at MindSports Arena.

Hexade Rules Copyright © Christian Freeling

                  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
                 / / / / / / / / / / 11
             A- . . . . . . . . . . / 12
            B- . . . . . . . . . . . / 13
           C- . . . . . . . . . . . . / 14
          D- . . . . . . . . . . . . . / 15
         E- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . / 16
        F- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . / 17
       G- . . . . . . . . x x x . . . . . / 18
      H- . . . . . . . . x x x x . . . . . / 19
     I- . . . . . . . . x x O x x . . . . . /
    J- . . . . . . . . . x x x x . . . . . .          
     K- . . . . . . . . . x x x . . . . . . 
      L- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
       M- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
        N- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
         O- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
          P- . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
           Q- . . . . . . . . . . . . 
            R- . . . . . . . . . . . 
             S- . . . . . . . . . . 

                      Diagram 1

• The game starts on an empty board. Players move in turn to place one stone on an empty cell. White moves first.
• Between White's first move and his second, there must be at least a two-cell distance. Diagram 1 shows a random first move with the forbidden area for White's second move. Black has no such restriction.

                  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
                 / / / / / / / / / / 11
             A- . . . . . . . . . . / 12
            B- . . . . . . . . . . . / 13
           C- . . . . . . . . . . . . / 14
          D- . . . . . . . # . . . . . / 15
         E- . . . . . . . . # . . . . . / 16
        F- . . . . . . . . . # . . . . . / 17
       G- . . . . . . . . . . # . . . . . / 18
      H- . . . . # # . . . . . # . . . . . / 19
     I- . . . . # . # . . . . . # . . . . . / 
    J- . . . . . # # . . . . . . . . . . . .          
     K- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
      L- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
       M- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
        N- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
         O- . . . . . # . . . . . . . . 
          P- . . . . # # . . . . . . . 
           Q- . . . # # # . . . . . . 
            R- . . . . . . . . . . . 
             S- . . . . . . . . . . 

                      Diagram 2

• The game is won by the first player to complete a perfect six, which means creating
  • six stones in a straight row, or
  • six stones in a compact triangle, or
  • six stones in a small hexagon,

  as shown in Diagram 2, and well in such a way (here the ``perfect'' comes in) that it outlasts the opponent's next move. If the opponent immediately destroys a six by capture, the game goes on.

There are no restrictions to whatever like colored stones are connected to a six. It doesn't matter for instance whether (or by whom) the cell inside a hexagon is occupied, or whether or not a straight six is an ``overline'' of seven or more.

Capture Two adjacent stones of like color are called a ``pair''. If the placement of a stone results in one or more opponent's pairs being enclosed the custodian way (sandwiched between two enemy stones), these pairs are captured and removed from the board in the same turn.

                  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
                 / / / / / / / / / / 11
             A- . . . . . . . . . . / 12
            B- . . . . . . . . . . . / 13
           C- . . . . . . . . . . . . / 14
          D- . . . . . . . . . . . . . / 15
         E- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . / 16
        F- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . / 17
       G- . . . # . . . . . . . . . . . . / 18
      H- . . . B . . . . . . . . . . . . . / 19
     I- . . . O . . . . . . . . A . . . . . / 
    J- . . . # . . . . . . . . # # . . . . .          
     K- . . . . . . . . . . . # . # . . . . 
      L- . . . . . . . . . . O . # O . . . 
       M- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
        N- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
         O- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
          P- . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
           Q- . . . . . . . . . . . . 
            R- . . . . . . . . . . . 
             S- . . . . . . . . . . 

                      Diagram 3

Here a White (Ohs) play at A captures two black pairs. A White play at B makes the white pair safe (for the moment), because pairs already enclosed cannot be captured. Of course White's capture of an enclosing stone may make his own pair vulnerable again.

Strategy and tactics Strategy is obvious: you need a simultaneous threat at some point and see if you can force the six to perfect. That's the nice thing about tactical games: you're not in the dark about what's going on. To compensate for the lack in strategical depth, tactics are manifold, subtle and resourceful.