Minor new Pente variant proposal
Posted:
Jun 3, 2026, 1:51 PM
In this variant, all standard rules apply (or typical variant rules can apply as well) with the additional rule that a player of a given color is able to play a piece on top of one of their existing pieces, should they choose. This allows a player to replace a missing piece before it gets captured and goes missing, should the player wish to do so.
Posts:
985
Registered:
Mar 7, 2006
From:
Philadelphia, PA
Age:
38
Re: Minor new Pente variant proposal
Posted:
Jun 3, 2026, 5:47 PM
The way I first interpreted this is stones go on top in the sense of placing a second stone on K9, so that if a capture occurs through K9, the second K9 stone remains. I think this is what we're all getting at.
I like this idea more than the idea that if K9 is captured and there is a stone on K10, the K10 stone slides down (and other connected stones directly above). What if I really wanted the K10 stone to stay on K10?
You could put a "x2" indicator on a stone to indicate multiple stones at an intersection.
Rule idea: You can also win if you get 5 stones on the same intersection. Can white play on top of an intersection if black has the bottom layer, or are you only allowed to build on your own color base?
It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
Re: Minor new Pente variant proposal
Posted:
Jun 3, 2026, 6:21 PM
Right, the second K9 stone remains, not a K10 slide down- that was my intent. Maybe a winning threat can be blocked by the opponent, so if a player decides to go for a three dimensional win, after 4 stones it can be blocked. I think a fully three dimensional game would be interesting, but pretty far removed from my intent, and would need more exploration. My original idea was simply that sometimes there's simply no good way to protect a pair, and if both stones in the pair are keystones, then a capture of them forces a win. In that case, if a player can play on top before the capture, then they can replace both keystones; one before the capture and the other one after the capture.
Re: Minor new Pente variant proposal
Posted:
Jun 3, 2026, 6:33 PM
@rainwolf - totally understood and agreed about the priority of renju over this. This is sort of a rare, late game variant possibility idea that I wanted to express while thinking about it, rather than something I see as a high priority or it'd be great to have it. It might change the dynamic of the game somewhat, but most likely not nearly as much as the Boat rule.
Re: Minor new Pente variant proposal
Posted:
Jun 3, 2026, 6:42 PM
I may see if I can get an analysis board set up with this variant idea - adding it to my poof keryo and the capturing a winning line OT rule app. https://poe.com/PoofKeryoPente
Re: Minor new Pente variant proposal
Posted:
Jun 3, 2026, 7:15 PM
Rule statement: in this proposal, a maximum of a single stone of the same color can be played on top of an existing stone of that color. This prevents a winning stack of five in a row and vertical (interdimensional) pair captures, but doesn't prevent pairs of stones which are on the top level from being captured or threatened, provided the opponent stacks in order to threaten the pair. Other more three dimensional variants can be explored and proposed, but this statement limits concerns for this particular variant.
