Square Off
Square Off Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
The object of the game is to be the first player to maneuver his or her tiles in such a way as to form an uninterrupted line between two points which have been preselected.
Preparation
Place the playing unit between the two players. Put all the red tiles in the tray on one side and all the black tiles in the tray on the other side. Make sure that the small arrows on the tiles point toward the raised center section of the playing unit. Remove the blank tiles so that there is one empty space on each side. Place the letters in the slots in the center of the tray. The order of the letters is not important.
Play
One player selects a letter and the other player rolls the die. Each player then tries as rapidly as possible to form an uninterrupted line connecting the letter selected to the number on the outer edge of the tray which corresponds to the number on the die. This is done by sliding a tile into the empty space, which in turn creates a different empty space for a further move. These moves should be made as rapidly as possible, as the game is a race.
The first player to complete his line snatches the appropriate letter from its slot to indicate that he is the winner of that round. If a player snatches a letter without completing his line, he forfeits the round and the letter is awarded to his opponent.
The second round is played in a similar manner, with the loser of the previous round selecting one of the remaining letters as a starting point.
Winning
The first player to win three rounds is the winner of the game.
Oriental Version
The game is set up in the same manner; however, after a letter is selected and the die is rolled, each player moves in turn, as in a chess match. A move is the shifting, in a single motion, of one or more tiles in one direction.
The winner is the player who has made the least number of moves to correctly complete his uninterrupted line.
Solitaire Puzzle
To begin the puzzle, set up one side of the board as if you were starting a regular game of Square Off. Then take any two tiles with vertical straight lines and turn them ninety degrees so that their straight lines run horizontally.
Now try to form an uninterrupted line or path in a circuit (all ends must be joined). One of six possible solutions (not counting mirror images) is shown on the sheet. Try to work out this one plus the other five.