Zensū
Zensū Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
24 wooden playing pieces (12 of each colour), playing board, rules.
Object of the Game
The aim is to create a passage through your opponent's defences and cross into their home territory to win the game.
Before You Start
Place the playing board on a flat surface.
To determine a player's colour one player places two playing pieces, one of each colour, face down on the table. They are mixed up and the other player chooses one to decide which colour each will play with. Turquoise starts the game.
Each player receives twelve pieces of one colour - either all red or all turquoise. There are six large '1' pieces and six large '2' pieces per colour. The large '1' pieces start on the front line. The large '2' pieces start on the back line in the home territory.
Playing the Game
Moves
Players in turn move one of their playing pieces either forwards, backwards or sideways, but not diagonally. The numbers on a playing piece determine how many squares the piece can move in each direction.
A playing piece must be moved in the direction indicated and the total number of moves shown by the number.
Pieces cannot be moved off the edge of the board or move more or less than the number shown. All the large '1' and '2' numbers stay facing the opponent's territory throughout the game and cannot be turned or twisted at any time.
Moving, Jumping and Capturing
No player is allowed to land on a square occupied by a piece of their own colour. Players can jump over their own pieces without affecting them, either to make a positional move, or to capture their opponent's pieces.
Any opponent's pieces which are either jumped over or landed on, or both, are captured and immediately removed from the board.
Up to four pieces can be captured in a single move. Even a backward move is permitted to capture the opponent's pieces.
Players are permitted to retreat their pieces backwards into their own home territory. After moving, jumping or capturing an opponent's piece/pieces, a player's turn is over. If a player intentionally touches one of their pieces, they must make a move with this piece if a legal move is possible.
Pieces can be adjusted on their squares if necessary but this should be announced in advance.
Winning the Game
As soon as a player crosses into an opponent's home territory with just one piece the game is won. A piece cannot be captured once it enters the opponent's home territory.
The game can also be won by capturing all the opponent's pieces, but this is very rare. The game cannot be drawn.