Gonnect is a board game in the style of Go, but with an emphasis on connection rather than territory.
It combines the simplicity and clarity of Hex with the tactical richness of Go, and simplifies the
Go rules while introducing new and substantial strategies.
Rules in common with Go
- Players take turns placing a stone of their color on an empty point on the board.
- Stones of the same color that are adjacent along a line of the board (not diagonally) are connected.
A chain (known as a group in Go) consists of one or more stones of the same color such that any stone
in the group can be reached from any other through a series of connected pairs of stones in the chain.
- A stone has a liberty if it is adjacent to an empty point. A chain has a liberty provided one of its members does.
Chains of stones with no liberties are captured and removed from the board.
- A stone cannot be played such that it creates a chain of friendly stones without liberties,
unless that move performs a capture that creates a liberty. In other words, suicide is forbidden.
- Rule of "Ko:" a player cannot make a move that would recreate the same board position as after his previous move.
Rules specific to Gonnect
- Players may not pass.
- Pie rule: The second player may elect to swap colors in lieu of his first move.
- A player wins if he connects either the top and bottom or the left and right edges of the board with a chain of stones of his color;
also, a player wins if his opponent has no valid move.