Help For Copolymer

Introduction

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

Current games can be viewed here.

copolymer challenge [ -small | -medium | -large | -size=N ] userid1 userid2: Start a new game between userid1 and userid2
-small allows players to play the smaller 9x9 board.
-medium allows players to play a 13x13 board.
-large allows players to play the default 19x19 board.
-size=N allows players to play on an NxN board.

Copolymer Rules

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Feel free to distribute this document.

INTRODUCTION

Copolymer is an ultra simple game for two players. Any honeycomb patterned grid with an odd number of cells can be used, such as the hexagonal grid in Figure 1.

Draws and ties cannot occur in Copolymer. Mark Steere designed Copolymer in April, 2006.


              1 2 3 4 5 6 
             / / / / / / 7
         A- . . . . . . / 8            
        B- . . . . . . . / 9  
       C- . . . . . . . . / 10 
      D- . . . . . . . . . / 11         
     E- . . . . . . . . . . /         
    F- . . . . . . . . . . . 
     G- . . . . . . . . . .       
      H- . . . . . . . . . 
       J- . . . . . . . . 
        K- . . . . . . . 

      Figure 1 -- Initial Setup

BASIC MOVES

Players take turns claiming cells on the board, at least one cell per turn. Players are not allowed to pass on their turn.

Define �connection� here as an adjacency between two neighboring cells. If you claim a cell which has two or more connections with enemy cells, you must claim at least one more cell while it is still your turn.

Your turn concludes when you claim a cell which does not have two or more connections with enemy cells.

You are never required to form connections with enemy cells unless the only cells available to you connect to enemy cells.

OBJECT OF THE GAME

Once all of the cells have been claimed, the player who has claimed the majority of cells wins.

EXAMPLE PLAY

Here one player will be X and the other O. In Figure 2a it�s O�s turn. In Figure 2b O has claimed a cell which has two connections with X cells, so he must claim another cell while it is still his turn.

In Figure 2c O has claimed another cell which has two connections with X cells and so he must claim yet another cell while it is still his turn. In Figure 2d O has claimed a cell which has no connections with X cells thus concluding O's turn.


    x . x        x . x        x O x        x o x
   x . . .      x O . .      x o . .      x o . .
  o o o . .    o o o . .    o o o . .    o o o . O
   x . o .      x . o .      x . o .      x . o .
    . . x        . . x        . . x        . . x
  Figure 2a    Figure 2b    Figure 2c    Figure 2d

Now, continuing the same example, in Figure 3a X has claimed a cell which has three connections with O cells, and therefore must claim another cell while it is still his turn. In Figure 3b X has claimed a cell which has only one connection with an O cell thus concluding X's turn.


    x o x        x o x 
   x o . .      x o . .
  o o o . o    o o o . o
   x X o .      x x o .
    . . x        . X x 
  Figure 3a    Figure 3b