Centaur Chess

Posts Tagged ‘Abstract’

Abstract strategy games are different types of board games which many of the world’s favorite games classify as. They are games that are considered to have “perfect information,” which means that everything that the other player does is instantly known. This allows for no misunderstandings due to a lack of communication and assures that every action will have a reaction. No parts of these games are left up to chance, meaning that no part of the game will rely on the effect of rolling dice or flipping a coin. Every action that is done is chosen by the player according to the circumstances and the player is in charge of every single action that takes place.

The games usually have either two players or two teams and are considered to be a head to head challenge. Checkers, Chess, Go, and Mancala are all considered to be great examples of abstract strategy games.

Some of the best abstract strategy games work as a series of puzzles that one player poses to the other. In a game that doesn’t have random elements or hidden information, all there is to play off of is the direct opposition that one player presents to another. For this reason, some abstract strategy games are considered superior to others for the simple fact that they present more opportunity for opposition than others.

Tic-Tac-Toe could technically be considered as an abstract strategy game, but it’s value is placed rather low for it does not present much difficulty during game play. Others, such as Chess, are considered to be some of the highest quality abstract strategy games available. Chess, with a clearly defined set of rules, a number of pieces to manipulate, and a rather large playing space, allows for nearly endless possibilities when playing a match against another player.

Othello, also called Reversi by some, is a game that brings two forces, black and white, into a battle of wits and strategy to find a victor. Played on an 8 by 8 grid, players either play as the black or the white tiles and try to change the face of their opponent’s tiles by strategic placement. The game starts with two tiles of each color being placed in the 4 central squares, each token being directly diagonal to the match.

The first player to move will then take a token of their own color and place it on the board next to a token of the opposite color, trapping the opponent’s colored token between two pieces of the first player’s color. When a colored game piece becomes trapped between two opposite colors, that player gets to flip the trapped piece and change it into their own color. By doing this, they start to claim game tokens for themselves. When the second player gets a chance to play, they place one of their own tokens onto the board, trapping one or more tokens of their opponent and therefore changing those colors to their own.

Game play continues in this fashion, changing as many of the opponent’s colors as possible, until no possible moves are left on the board. When this happens, the game is over and the tokens on the board are counted. The player with more colored tokens on the board is declared as the winner of the match. It is another prime example of an abstract strategy game. Nothing happens that isn’t immediately know and everything can be reacted to with ease.

Abstract Strategy is the title given to the types of board games which offer direct competition between two players with no hidden information or random chance involved. When two players face off, head to head, the only obstacles present are the puzzles that they present to each other. For this fact and the fact that every time a move is made, everything about that move, save for the player’s intention, are immediately known, these games are given over to a form of abstract strategy, hence the name. Players need to outsmart their opponent in order to win, no amount of luck will aid them in victory.

Chess is highly considered to be one of the most popular abstract strategy games available. Considering that Chess is one of the most popular games in the world, it is no wonder that it is given some of the best recommendations in the world of abstract strategy. The game is played on a square board, with 8 rows and 8 columns of squares. Players choose a side, generally either white or black, and set their pieces according to a standard format. 8 pawns make up the inner row while the back row consists of the specialty pieces, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, the queen, and the king. Each piece has a special way of moving and cannot break that pattern. By using these different pattern movements, players must try to “checkmate” the other player’s king piece, putting it into a position where it will be captured and nothing can be done to stop this. The player who can do this first is declared the winner of Chess.

Other games exist within the abstract strategy realm, however. Go, a game that dates back to Ancient China, is considered to be even more popular than Chess. It has much simpler rules yet requires just as much strategic thought as its European counterpart. Two players, again black and white, take turns placing a colored stone on the board, which has been marked with a 19 by 19 grid of perpendicular lines. Once a stone has been placed on one of the intersections, it cannot be moved from that space, and players try to make chains between their stones. When a chain of stones has been made, no matter the size, it cannot be broken, only removed from the board.

If one player is able to completely surround another player’s chain, those player’s stones are removed from the board. Play continues until both players can find no more moves available to them, and scoring commences. There a few different styles to tabulating the scores of Go, but both methods generally consider both the number of stones on the board as well as the number of stones which have been captured. These two numbers are often directly in proportion to each other, as stones captures come from areas surrounded, which is considered to be another form of scoring.

Abstract strategy games allow players to think outside the box when they are confronting an opponent, which can be refreshing to many players who tire quickly of traditional board games that rely mainly on luck. These games are often the games which have lasted through history, always providing something that other games do not. They can be used to help educate and keep the mind sharp, and for this reason, they are some of the most beloved games available today.

• Photographic Print Title: Denmark: Abstract of Glass Chess Set
• Artist: Brimberg & Coulson
• Size: 18 x 24 inches

Product Description
Denmark: Abstract of Glass Chess Set is digitally printed on archival photographic paper resulting in vivid, pure color and exceptional detail that is suitable for any museum or gallery display. Finding that perfect piece to match your interest and style is easy and within your budget!… More >>

Denmark: Abstract of Glass Chess Set Artists Photographic Poster Print by Brimberg & Coulson , 18×24