Help for Tactics

Introduction

Welcome to the network Tactics servers. The rules of Tactics are below. The commands are the same for all pbmserv games.

Rules of Tactics

Tactics uses the same move format as other pbem games:
tactics board 105 userid password move
where move is replaced by from and to coordinates (ie f1-f4).

Background:

I played this game around 1981 while I was living in Hawaii as a young teenager. I don't know anything about its background other than the fact that the oriental family I was staying with played it and they taught me how to play.

In the original game, each piece was a square with rounded corners. Each piece had arrows drawn on one side showing it as a mobile piece and which direction it could move. On the other side of the piece, it was the opposite color, had a letter S (for stationary, I assume) and little diamonds where the tips of the arrows would have been.

Two sides of white's Rook-like piece:

Mobile side     Frozen side
(White)         (Black)
/---------\     /---------\
|    ^    |     |::::^::::|
|    |    |     |:::::::::|
|<---+--->|     |<:::S:::>|
|    |    |     |:::::::::|
|    v    |     |::::v::::|
\---------/     \---------/

Object of the game:

Prevent your opponent from moving.

Moves and Pieces:

Each player starts with 4 Rooks (R), 2 Bishops (B) and 2 Queens (Q). Rooks move orthogonally (vertically and horizontally). Bishops move diagonally and Queens move both orthogonally and diagonally. A "*" appears on each side of Black's pieces. When a piece is frozen, it changes to the opponent's color and is represented by its equivalent lower case letter. It can be unfrozen in a subsequent move (see examples below).

Starting board:

    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | Q |:B:| R |:R:| R |:R:| B |:Q:| 1
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   | 2
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 |   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::| 3
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   | 4
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 |   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::| 5
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   | 6
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 |   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::| 7
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 |*Q*|*B*|*R*|*R*|*R*|*R*|*B*|*Q*| 8
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H

Like Othello, each piece has a black side and a white side. The white player's pieces are mobile when the white side is showing and frozen when the black side is showing. Likewise, the black player's pieces are mobile when black and frozen when white.

Pieces are flipped in one of two ways:

1) Like Othello, a player-colored piece on each end of a line of opponent-colored pieces causes them to flip over. eg:

Before white's move:

    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | R |*R*|*b*|*R*|*R*|:::|   |:R:| 1
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|*R*|:::|   | 2
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 |   |:Q:|   |:Q:|   |*B*|   |:::| 3
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 |:::|   |:::|   |:R:|   |:::|   | 4
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 |*Q*|:::|   |:::|   |*Q*|   |:::| 5
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 |:::|   |:::|   |*b*|   |:::|*B*| 6
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 |   |:::|   |:::| R |:::|   |:::| 7
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   | 8
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H

White makes the move h1-f1. After white's move:

    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | R | r | B |:r:| r |:R:|   |:::| 1
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|*R*|:::|   | 2
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 |   |:Q:|   |:Q:|   |*B*|   |:::| 3
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 |:::|   |:::|   |:R:|   |:::|   | 4
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 |*Q*|:::|   |:::|   |*Q*|   |:::| 5
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 |:::|   |:::|   |*b*|   |:::|*B*| 6
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 |   |:::|   |:::| R |:::|   |:::| 7
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   | 8
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H

Notice that the 4 pieces at b1, c2, d1 and e1 all got flipped over. They were all black-colored pieces: 3 of black's Rooks and 1 of white's frozen Bishops. After the move, black's Rooks become frozen (lower case and white) and white's Bishop becomes unfrozen (upper case and white).

2) The other way to flip pieces is to move between two opponent-colored pieces.

Continuing our previous example, black makes the move a5-c3. After black's move:

    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | R | r | B |:r:| r |:R:|   |:::| 1
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|*R*|:::|   | 2
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 |   |*q*|*Q*|*q*|   |*B*|   |:::| 3
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 |:::|   |:::|   |:R:|   |:::|   | 4
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 |   |:::|   |:::|   |*Q*|   |:::| 5
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 |:::|   |:::|   |*b*|   |:::|*B*| 6
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 |   |:::|   |:::| R |:::|   |:::| 7
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   | 8
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H

Notice that the pieces at b3 and d3 were flipped.

Continuing our example and showing a combination flip, white makes the move c1-f4. After white's move:

    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | R | r |   |:r:| r |:R:|   |:::| 1
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 |:::|   |:::|   |:::| r |:::|   | 2
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 |   |*q*|*Q*|*q*|   |:b:|   |:::| 3
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 |:::|   |:::|   |:R:| B |:::|   | 4
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 |   |:::|   |:::|   |:q:|   |:::| 5
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 |:::|   |:::|   |*b*|   |:::|*B*| 6
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 |   |:::|   |:::| R |:::|   |:::| 7
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   | 8
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H

Notice that the pieces at f2 and f3 were flipped because they were between f1 and f4. Also, f5 was flipped because f3 and f5 were black-colored pieces on each side of f4.

Finally, you can't accidentally flip your own colored pieces to your opponents pieces on your own move. Continuing the example, black makes the move c3-e5. After black's move:

    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 | R | r |   |:r:| r |:R:|   |:::| 1
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 |:::|   |:::|   |:::| r |:::|   | 2
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 |   |*q*|   |*q*|   |:b:|   |:::| 3
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 |:::|   |:::|   |:R:| B |:::|   | 4
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 |   |:::|   |:::|*Q*|:q:|   |:::| 5
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 |:::|   |:::|   |*b*|   |:::|*B*| 6
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 |   |:::|   |:::| R |:::|   |:::| 7
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   |:::|   | 8
  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H

Notice that the pieces at e5 and e6 were *not* flipped even though they are surrounded black pieces bracketed by white pieces at e4 and e7.

Also notice that unlike Othello, diagonal lines are not considered for flipping purposes.

The game is over when a player cannot move either because all of his pieces have been flipped or because he cannot move any pieces that would otherwise be mobile.

Enjoy playing!