Help For TanboIntroductionWelcome to the network Tanbo server. The rules of Tanbo are below. The Tanbo "challenge" command is described here. Other commands are the same for all pbmserv games. See also the Tanbo FAQ.
Current games can be viewed here. Tanbo Rules(Copyright (c) 1995 Mark Steere <mark@tanbo.com>)AUTHOR'S NOTE: Feel free to distribute this document. I INTRODUCTION II RULES AND OBJECT III THREE DIMENSIONAL TANBO IV OTHER DIMENSIONS V ORIGINS I INTRODUCTION =============== TANBO IS LIKE GO ---------------- Tanbo requires a Go board and Go stones. As in Go, players take turns adding their stones to the board, and occasionally a group of stones is removed. TANBO IS NOT LIKE GO -------------------- In spite of its similarity to Go, Tanbo is basically a different game. For example, there is no score in Tanbo. The object is to completely destroy your opponent. TANBO IS A GAME OF ROOTS ------------------------ Tanbo crudely models a system of plant roots. Roots which are growing, competing for space, and dying. In beginner play, the roots grow much as the roots in a garden. Over time, the roots become shrewd and calculating. FIGURES A - D are excerpts from a novice game. FIGURE A is the initial configuration. FIGURES B AND C show roots growing and competing for space. In FIGURE D, white has won by eliminating the eight black roots. FIGURE A: INITIAL SETUP - 16 SEEDS #=BLACK, O=WHITE A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T 19 # . . . . . O . . . . . # . . . . . O 19 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 16 . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . 16 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 13 O . . . . . # . . . . . O . . . . . # 13 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 10 . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . 10 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 7 # . . . . . O . . . . . # . . . . . O 7 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 4 . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . 4 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 O . . . . . # . . . . . O . . . . . # 1 A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T FIGURE B: ROOTS SPREAD VIA HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL ADJACENCIES. CLUMPS AND CLOSED LOOPS ARE NOT PERMITTED. A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T 19 # . . . . . O . . . . . # . . . O O O 19 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . # # O . O . . 18 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . # . O . O O . 17 16 . . . , . . . . . , . . # # O O O # . 16 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # # # # . 15 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # # 14 13 O . . . . . # # # O . O O O . . . . # 13 12 . . . . . . # . . O . . O . . . . . . 12 11 . . . . . . # . O O O O O O . . . . . 11 10 . . . , . . . . O , . . . . . , . . . 10 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . # . . . . . . 9 8 . . . . . . O . . . . . # . . . . . . 8 7 # # # . . O O # # # # # # # # . . O O 7 6 . . # . . O . . . . . . . . # O . . . 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O # . . 5 4 . . . , . . . . . , . . . O . , # . . 4 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . # . . 3 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . # . . 2 1 O O . . . . # # . . . . O O . . # # # 1 A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T FIGURE C: 16 ROOTS COMPETE FOR SPACE. SEPARATE, LIKE-COLORED ROOTS MUST NOT BE JOINED. A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T 19 # . . # . . O . . . . . # . . . O O O 19 18 . . O # O O O O O O . . # # O . O . . 18 17 . O O # # . . . . O . . # . O . O O . 17 16 . . O # . . . . # , # # # # O O O # . 16 15 . . O # . . . . # # . . . . # # # # . 15 14 . . O # . . . . # . . . . O . . . # # 14 13 O O O # # # # # # O . O O O . . . . # 13 12 . . . . . . # . . O . . O . . . . . . 12 11 . . . . . # # . O O O O O O O O . . . 11 10 . . . , . . . # O , . . . . # # # # # 10 9 . . . O O O O # O . . . # # # O . . O 9 8 . . # . . . O # . . . . # . . O O . O 8 7 # # # . . O O # # # # # # # # O . O O 7 6 # . # . . O . . # . # . # . # O . O . 6 5 O # # . . . . # # # O . O O O O # O . 5 4 O . # # # # # O . , O O . O . , # O . 4 3 O . # . # . O O O O O # O O . . # O O 3 2 O . # . O O O # # # # # . O . . # . # 2 1 O O O O O # # # . . # O O O O # # # # 1 A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T FIGURE D: WHITE WINS BY ELIMINATING THE 8 BLACK ROOTS. A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T 19 O . O . O . O . O . O . . O O . O O O 19 18 O . O . O O O O O O O . . . O . O . . 18 17 O O O O . O . O . O . . . O O . O O O 17 16 O . O , O O O . O O . . . . O O O . O 16 15 . O O O . . O . O . O O . . . . . . . 15 14 O . O . . . . O . O . O . O O O O O O 14 13 O O O O . . O O . O . O O O . O . O . 13 12 O . . O O O . O . O . . O . O . . . . 12 11 O O O . . . . O O O O O O O O O . . . 11 10 O . O O . . . . O , . O . . . , . . . 10 9 O . . . . . . . O O O . . . . O . . O 9 8 O . . . . . . . O . . . . . O O O . O 8 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . O O 7 6 . O . . . . . . . . . O O . . O . O . 6 5 O O O O O O . . . . O . O O O O . O . 5 4 O . . O . O . O . , O O . O . , . O . 4 3 O O . . O . O O O O O . O O O O . O O 3 2 O . . . O O O . . . . . . O . O . O . 2 1 O O O O O . . . . . . O O O O . . . . 1 A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T II RULES AND OBJECT ==================== EQUIPMENT --------- Tanbo requires a 19 by 19 Go board, 180 white Go stones, and 181 black Go stones. One player takes ownership of the white stones and becomes "white". The other player is "black". In the diagrams, white is "O" and black is "#". INITIAL SETUP ------------- Initially, each player has 8 stones on the board as shown in Figure A. The stones are interspersed and evenly spaced over the entire board. BASIC MOVES ----------- After setting up this initial configuration, black makes the first move. (A "move" will always mean adding exactly one stone to the board. Stones are never actually moved from one point to another on the board.) Next white makes a move, and the players continue to take turns adding their stones to the board until one player wins. A newly added stone must "connect" to exactly one stone of the same color, which is already on the board. Two points "connect" if they are horizontally or vertically adjacent. Diagonally adjacent points do not connect. Several examples of legal and illegal moves appear in the following sections. Players are not allowed to pass. You must add exactly one stone to the board during your turn. FIGURE E: EXAMPLES OF LEGAL AND ILLEGAL MOVES FOR WHITE. LEGAL WHITE MOVES: T18, P19, R9, M12 ILLEGAL WHITE MOVES (NO CONNECTION): N4, J12, K8, K2 ILLEGAL WHITE MOVES (2+ CONNECTIONS): F15, G5, B14, B12 A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T 19 # . . . . . O . . . . . # # . O O O O 19 18 # . . . . . O . . . . . . # # . O . . 18 17 # . . . . . O . . . . . . # . . . . . 17 16 # . . , . . O . . # # # # # . , . . . 16 15 O O O O O . O . . . . . . # . . . . . 15 14 O . O . . # . . . . . . . # . . . . . 14 13 O O . . # # # # # # . . O . # # # # # 13 12 O . . . . . # . . . . . O . # . # . . 12 11 O . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . # . . 11 10 O O O , . . . . . , . . . O . , . . . 10 9 O # # . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . 9 8 . # . O O O O O . . . . . O . . O . . 8 7 # # O O . . O . . . . . # O . O O O O 7 6 O O O . . . O . . . . . # . . . . . . 6 5 . . O O O O . . . # # # # . . . . . . 5 4 . . . , . . # . . , . . . . . , . . . 4 3 # # # # . . # . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 . O . # . . # . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 O O # # # # # # # . O O O . . . # # # 1 A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T LEGAL MOVES CONNECT TO EXACTLY ONE STONE OF THE SAME COLOR ---------------------------------------------------------- In FIGURE E, points T18, P19, R9, and M12 are examples of legal moves for white. Each of these moves connects to exactly one white stone, already on the board. ILLEGAL MOVES THAT DON'T CONNECT TO ANY STONES OF THE SAME COLOR ---------------------------------------------------------------- Points N4, J12, K8, and K2 are examples of illegal moves for white. These moves don't connect to any white stones. ILLEGAL MOVES THAT CONNECT TO 2 OR MORE STONES OF THE SAME COLOR ---------------------------------------------------------------- Points F15, G5, B14, and B12 in FIGURE E are examples of illegal moves for white. These moves are illegal for white because they each connect to two or more white stones already on the board. Point F15 for example is an illegal move for white because it connects to two white stones; one white stone is directly to the left of point F15 and the other is directly to the right of point F15. Point B14 is an illegal move for white because it connects to four white stones: above, below, to the left, and to the right of point B14. ROOTS ----- By adding stones in this manner, the players form "roots" (A root is a group of interconnected stones of the same color.) In FIGURE B, roots are just beginning to form. As the roots grow larger, they compete for limited growing space. In FIGURE C, there are still 16 roots on the board. After a few games, players can easily discern the individual roots. When a single root becomes so constricted that it can no longer grow, the entire root is immediately removed from the board. The surrounding roots can then grow into the area vacated by the removed root. (Sometimes two or more roots will run out of growing space simultaneously. This is discussed separately, in detail below.) In FIGURE D, white has won the game by eliminating the eight black roots. (See OBJECT OF THE GAME.) FIGURE F: IMPOSSIBLE FORMATIONS A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T 19 # # # . # # # # # # . . . . . . . O O 19 18 . # # . . . . # . . . . . . . . O O . 18 17 . . # . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . 17 16 . . # , . . . . . , . . . . O O . . . 16 15 . . # . . O O O O . . . . O O . . . . 15 14 . # # . . . . . O . . . O O . . . . . 14 13 O O O . # # . . O . . . O O . . # # # 13 12 O O O . # . . . O . . . . . . . # . # 12 11 O . # # # . O O O . . . . . . . # . # 11 10 # # # , # . . . . , . . . . . , # # # 10 9 # . . . # . O O O O . . . . . . . . . 9 8 # . . . # . O . O . . . . . . . . . . 8 7 # # # # # . O O O . . . . . . . O O O 7 6 . . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . O O O 6 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 4 . . . , # # # # . , . . O . # # # . . 4 3 . . . . . . # # . O O O O . # # # . O 3 2 O O . . . . # . . . . O O . # . . . . 2 1 . O . . . . # . . . . . O . # # # # # 1 A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T IMPOSSIBLE FORMATIONS --------------------- The rules for adding stones make it impossible for certain types of formations to occur in Tanbo. In particular, separate roots of the same color will never be joined. Roots will not form closed loops or clumps. Every root will contain one of the stones of the initial configuration (shown in FIGURE A). New roots will never be created during the course of the game. All of the formations in FIGURE F are impossible. They cannot be created without violating the rules of Tanbo. THE EXPANDED ROOT ----------------- When a player makes a move, he connects his newly added stone to only one of his roots. This root increases in size by one and is referred to as the "expanded root" during the player's turn. The "expanded root" concept is essential to an understanding of the following sections. ROOT SPACE ---------- The "root space" of a root consists of the available legal moves which serve to expand that root. A root is "free" if it has at least one point of root space. For example, in FIGURE E, point D9 is the only point of root space for the small black root. Because that root has root space, it is free. BOUNDED ROOTS ------------- A root becomes "bounded" when a move is made which completely deprives that root of root space. For example, in FIGURE E, if white adds a stone to point D9, white deprives the small black root of root space, therefore bounding it. Alternatively, white could bound one of his own roots by moving to point C2 in FIGURE E. Expanding this small white root would leave it with no root space, therefore bounding it. The "bounded root" concept is central to Tanbo. REMOVING BOUNDED ROOTS ---------------------- When a player makes a move which causes one or more roots to become bounded, he will be required to remove at least one of these bounded roots from the board, during his current turn. This is described in detail in the following sections. FIGURE G: FIGURE H: ROOT IS EXPANDED EXPANDED, BOUNDED ROOT AND BOUNDED. IS REMOVED. A B C D E F G H J A B C D E F G H J 9 . O . O O # . . # 9 9 . O . O O # . . # 9 8 O O O O # # # # # 8 8 O O O O # # # # # 8 7 O . O . # . # . . 7 7 O . O . # . # . . 7 6 . O O O # . . # . 6 6 . O O O # . . # . 6 5 O O , O # # # # # 5 5 O O , O # # # # # 5 4 # # O O O O O O O 4 4 # # O O O O O O O 4 3 . # , # O # , . . 3 3 . # , # O # , . . 3 2 # # # # # # O O O 2 2 # # # # # # . . . 2 1 . # . . # O O .>O< 1 1 . # . . # . . . . 1 A B C D E F G H J A B C D E F G H J EXPANDED AND BOUNDED ROOT IS REMOVED FROM THE BOARD --------------------------------------------------- If you make a move which expands and bounds one of your roots, you must immediately remove this expanded and bounded root from the board. FIGURES G and H demonstrate such a move on a 9 by 9 board. By moving to point J1 in FIGURE G, white expands and bounds the small white root in the lower right corner. White must immediately remove the expanded and bounded root, as shown in FIGURE H. FIGURE I: FIGURE J: EXPANDED ROOT AND TWO ONLY THE EXPANDED, OTHER ROOTS ARE BOUNDED. BOUNDED ROOT IS REMOVED. A B C D E F G H J A B C D E F G H J 9 O O # # . # # . . 9 9 . . # # . # # . . 9 8 . O O # . . # # # 8 8 . . . # . . # # # 8 7 O . O # # # , # . 7 7 . . , # # # , # . 7&127; 6 O O O O O # # # # 6 6 . . . . . # # # # 6 5 # # #>O<, O O O O 5 5 # # # . , O O O O 5 4 . . # . O O # O . 4 4 . . # . O O # O . 4 3 # . # # # # # O . 3 3 # . # # # # # O . 3 2 # # # . O O O O O 2 2 # # # . O O O O O 2 1 # O O O O . O . O 1 1 # O O O O . O . O 1 A B C D E F G H J A B C D E F G H J REMOVE ONLY THE EXPANDED, BOUNDED ROOT - NO OTHER ROOTS ------------------------------------------------------- If your move expands and bounds one of your roots, and simultaneously bounds one or more additional roots of either color, you must immediately remove the expanded root, and only the expanded root. You must not remove any additional roots during your current turn. The additional roots, which are momentarily bounded during your turn, become free again when you remove the expanded root. FIGURES I and J demonstrate such a move. By moving to point D5 in FIGURE I, white expands the white root in the upper left corner. This move simultaneously bounds three roots: the expanded root, the black root in the lower left corner, and the white root in the lower right corner. White must immediately remove the expanded root, and only the expanded root, as shown in FIGURE J. Two roots in FIGURE J, which were momentarily bounded during white's turn, became free again when white removed the expanded, bounded root. The white root in the lower right corner reclaimed its one point of root space. The black root in the lower left corner gained a few points of root space. At the conclusion of a turn, there should not be any bounded roots on the board. FIGURE K: FIGURE L: EXPANDED ROOT IS NOT REMOVE THE TWO BOUNDED, BUT TWO OTHER BOUNDED ROOTS. ROOTS ARE BOUNDED. A B C D E F G H J A B C D E F G H J 9 O O # # . . # . . 9 9 O O # # . . # . . 9 8 . O O # . . # # # 8 8 . O O # . . # # # 8 7 . . O # # # , # . 7 7 . . O # # # , # . 7 6 O O O O O # # # # 6 6 O O O O O # # # # 6 5 # # #>O<, O O O O 5 5 . . , O , . , . . 5 4 . . # . O O # O . 4 4 . . . . . . . . . 4 3 # . # # # # # O . 3 3 . . , . , . , . . 3 2 # # # . O O O O O 2 2 . . . . . . . . . 2 1 # O O O O . O . O 1 1 . . . . . . . . . 1 A B C D E F G H J A B C D E F G H J IF ONE OR MORE ROOTS GET BOUNDED, AND THE EXPANDED ROOT IS ---------------------------------------------------------- NOT ONE OF THE BOUNDED ROOTS, REMOVE ALL THE BOUNDED ROOTS. ----------------------------------------------------------- If you move to bound one or more roots of either or both colors, and the expanded root is not one of the bounded roots, you must immediately remove all of the roots which you bounded by making that move. By moving to point D5 in FIGURE K, white expands the root in the upper left corner, and the expanded root is not bounded. However, two other roots are bounded by this move: the black root in the lower left corner, and the white root in the lower right corner. White must immediately remove the two bounded roots, as shown in FIGURE L. SUMMARY - WHEN TO REMOVE ROOTS ------------------------------ In summary, whenever a move causes a single root to be bounded, that root is immediately removed. When a player's move causes two or more roots to be simultaneously bounded, the player must look at the expanded root. If the expanded root is one of the bounded roots, then the expanded root, and only the expanded root is removed. Otherwise, if the expanded root is not one of the bounded roots, then all of the bounded roots must be removed. The rules for removing roots were designed to ensure that when all eight of a player's roots have been eliminated, the other player will still have at least one root remaining on the board. This prevents ties from occuring. RETURN OPPOSING ROOTS TO OPPONENT --------------------------------- Whenever you remove an opposing root from the board, you must return its stones to your opponent. Players never take ownership of opposing stones. After stones have been returned to their owner, they can be played again during later turns. OBJECT OF THE GAME ------------------ To win, a player must eliminate all eight of his opponent's roots. One player will always win. It's impossible to repeat a board configuration in Tanbo. Therefore a game cannot result in a draw. FIGURE M: FIGURE N: LAST MOVE OF THE GAME. WHITE HAS WON THE GAME. BLACK MUST SACRIFICE HIS LAST REMAINING ROOT. A B C D E F G H J A B C D E F G H J 9 O O # # . # # .>#< 9 9 O O . . . . . . . 9 8 . O O # . . # # # 8 8 . O O . . . . . . 8 7 O . O # # # , # . 7 7 O . O . , . , . . 7 6 O O O O O # # # # 6 6 O O O O O . . . . 6 5 O . , O , . # . . 5 5 O . , O , . , . . 5 4 O O . O O O # # # 4 4 O O . O O O . . . 4 3 O . , . O # # . # 3 3 O . , . O . , . . 3 2 O . . . O . # . # 2 2 O . . . O . . . . 2 1 O . . . O # # # . 1 1 O . . . O . . . . 1 A B C D E F G H J A B C D E F G H J FIGURES M and N show the last turn of a game. In FIGURE M, each player has one root remaining on the board. Black's only available move is point J9, and point J9 is also the black root's only remaining point of root space. By moving to point J9, black bounds his last remaining root which he immediately removes from the board, as shown in FIGURE N. White has won the game. FIGURE O: A B C D E F G H J 9 . . . . . . . . . 9 8 . O . . . . . # . 8 7 . . , . , . , . . 7 6 . . . . . . . . . 6 5 . . , . , . , . . 5 4 . . . . . . . . . 4 3 . . , . , . , . . 3 2 . # . . . . . O . 2 1 . . . . . . . . . 1 A B C D E F G H J BEGINNERS CAN USE A 9 BY 9 BOARD -------------------------------- Beginners can play Tanbo on a 9 by 9 board with the initial setup shown in FIGURE O. After a few games, players will easily distinguish one root from another. And they will keep track of how much root space each root has available. Players should advance to the tournament size, 19 by 19 board at this point. III THREE DIMENSIONAL TANBO ============================ The rules of 3D Tanbo are exactly the same as the rules of 2D Tanbo, except it's played in three dimensions instead of two. For example: 1. To make a move, you must connect a new stone to exactly one stone already on (in) the board. 2. The expanded root will kill all of the roots it bounds, unless the expanded root is itself bounded. In this case, only the expanded root is removed. The following diagram shows the 5x5x5 cube that is tanbo3d. Players express their moves as "XYZ" coordinates. For example, the center point of the cube is 333. Z tanbo3d game: 100 rrognlie (black #) vs mr.tan (white O) _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ /| /| /| /| / / | / | / | / | / 5 / O | / O | / `O'| / . | / # 4 / . . | / . . | / . . | / . . | / . . 3 / # . . | / {#}. . | / . . . | / . . . | / . . . 2 / # . . . | / . . . . | / . . . . | / . . . . | / . . . . 1 | # . , . # |_| . . , . . |_| . . , . . |_| . . , . . |_| O . , . O | . . . . / | . . . . / | . . . . / | . . . . / | . . . . / | . . . / | . . . / | . . . / | . . . / | . . . /5 | . . / | . . / | . . / | . . / | . . /4 | O / | . / | . / | . / | # /3 | / | / | / | / | /2 1/____________2/____________3/____________4/____________5/1 _____X Recent Moves Moves Stones Roots # O # O # O # O / --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -Y 125 255 3 2 7 6 4 4 135 355 235 IV OTHER DIMENSIONS ==================== The lowest dimension that makes any sense at all for Tanbo is one: # . . . . . O . . . . . # . . . . . O . . . . . # . . . . . O The more dimensions you have, the more complex the gameplay becomes. With a 19x19 board, the complexity is somewhere in the general neighborhood of Chess and Go. 5x5x5 gameplay seems tremendously complex to me, although I don't have the experience with it to say for sure. Although we can only visualize three dimensions, it is possible to "conceptualize" four dimensions. You can view a series of three- dimensional "cross-sections" of four-dimensional Tanbo. Computers of the future may have hours of fun playing eleven-dimensional Tanbo. V ORIGINS ========== Tanbo (2D) was, of course, inspired by Go. I concentrated nearly continuously for about three weeks, searching inner space for a new game-playing mechanism. The result was Tanbo. I played Tanbo for a year and a half before releasing this document, and I plan to keep playing for years to come. Tanbo is a subtle game. There's not a lot of capturing. As with Go, you must safety your groups and you must fight a series of territorial battles. The word tanbo means rice paddy in Japanese. Tanbo is not a variant of Go, but it was inspired by Go and is related to Go. The Japanese made Go what it is today (even though it was invented in China as Wei-Chi around 2000 BC). Hence the Japanese name. My thanks to Hernan Contreras. He discovered a bug in the initial set of rules, and he plays Tanbo with me often.
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