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Gounki is an abstract strategy game in which pieces can combine and disperse to affect their movement possibilities. Played on an eight-by-eight square grid, the goal is for a player to move their pieces off the opposite end of the board while preventing the opponent from doing the same.
It was invented by Christophe Malavasi in 1997.
Gounki is played on an eight-by-eight square.
Each player has eight round pieces and eight square pieces, placed alternatively on his first two rows (square pieces are on black squares of a classic chessboard.)
On each turn, the player chooses whether to make a movement or a deployment.
Rounds pieces move one step in diagonal, always forward. Squares pieces move one step on the left, on the right, or forward.
When a player moves his pieces, he may stack them above some of his other pieces, as long as he does not try to combine more than three elementary pieces altogether. If a combined piece comprises X rounds and Y squares, it may move up to X steps like a round, or up to Y steps like a square.
Combined pieces cannot :
Just like in chess: if an opponent's piece is where you mean to go during a movement, it is captured.
The second (and last) kind of move is the deployment.
When deploying a piece, you separate all the simple pieces making a composed pieces. You separate a simple piece by moving its parent composed piece like this simple piece.
After this movement, the simple piece is separated from its parent piece.
All the rounds are deployed, then all the squares, or all the squares followed by all the rounds. It means you should not, for instance, deploy a round, a square, then a round again. You can deploy above your own pieces, as long as you don't build bigger than triple pieces.
You should not :
Pieces mays rebound against the side during their movements or deployments.
Examples:
This game has been played on 8 March 2004 between Matthieu Walraet and MGounki.
| MGounki | Matthieu Walraet | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | a1-a2+ | a8-b7+ | |
| 2. | a2-b2+ | a7-b7+ | |
| 3. | b2- b4 | e7-d7+ | |
| 4. | b4-c5 | c7-c6 | |
| 5. | c5*d5,e5,f6 | g7-f7+ | |
| 6. | f6-e7 | f7xe7 | |
| 7. | d1-e2+ | b7-b5 | |
| 8. | f1-e2+ | b5-b4 | |
| 9. | d2-c2+ | b4*a3,b2,a2 | Note the deployment with rebound. |
| 10. | c1-b1+ | a2-a1 | |
| 11. | b1xa1 | b2xa1 | |
| 12. | e2-b5 | a1-Out |
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