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Impasse

Introduction

Impasse is a two-player, abstract strategy game made by Mark Steere. A standard Checkers (Draughts) set is employed. Although Impasse was inspired by Checkers, it is not a Checkers variant. It is a unique game.

Players compete to remove their own checkers from the board. There is no jumping or capturing.

Impasse will always produce a winner and a loser.Draws and ties cannot occur.

Object of the Game

The object is to remove all of your own checkers from the board.The first player to accomplish this wins.

Initial Setup

An 8 by 8 board with dark and light squares arranged in a checkered pattern is required. Only the dark squares are used in play. Also required is a set of 24 checkers, 12 of one color and 12 of another.

The board is oriented so that each player's lower leftmost square is a dark square.� The initial setup for the 8 by 8 board is shown.

Terminology

The playing pieces will be referred to as checkers
A stack of two like-colored checkers is Double
White - The player who handles the white checkers.
Black - The player who handles the black checkers.
You move your checkers forward by moving them away from yourself.
You move your checkers backward by moving them toward yourself.
You crown a checker by stacking a like-colored checker onto it.
Players take turns making moves and otherwise handling their own checkers. Once you have finished handling your checkers, your turn is completed and it then becomes your opponent's turn.

Moves

There are three types of moves in Impasse: the singles slide; the doubles slide; and the transpose

Singles Slide

Your singles are moved diagonally forward, in a straight line, along one or more unoccupied squares.

Black has a single checker marked on the board. He can slide his checker forward to the square marked "14" or to the square marked "9".

Doubles Slide

Your doubles are moved diagonally backward, in a straight line, along one or more unoccupied squares.

Black has a double marked on the board. His only available moves are labeled "15", "18", and "22".

Transpose

The top checker of one of your doubles can be removed from its stack and moved diagonally backward, exactly one square, onto one of your singles.

Figure a

Figure b

Black has only one available move in Figure a. He must move the top checker of his double diagonally backward, exactly one square, onto his single as shown in Figure b. This type of move is called a transpose since the double and the single are effectively interchanged.

Rules of Play

When it becomes your turn, if you have any moves available as defined above, you must make one. You cannot pass. Also, you can never make more than one move during your turn.

Impasse Rule

If you don't have any moves available at the beginning of your turn, you are at an impasse In this case you must remove one of your own checkers from the board. The checker you select for removal can either be one of your singles or the top checker of one of your doubles.

After removing your checker, you are not allowed to make any moves during your current turn. However, you may be required to crown. (See Crown Rule below).

You can only apply the Impasse rule once during your turn. So if you are still at an impasse after removing a checker, you are not entitled to remove additional checkers during your turn.

As with the Move rule, you cannot pass. If you are at an impasse, you must remove one of your checkers. Your removed checker will not be reintroduced into the game. It is permanently removed from play.

Note: The Impasse rule only applies at the beginning of your turn. If you make a move which deprives you of future moves, this does not entitle you to remove a checker.

Example:

Figure a

Figure b

It is Black's turn in Figure a. Black has no moves available and so he is at an impasse. He must remove a black checker from the board. He selects the checker in his nearest row for removal as shown in Figure b. It is now White's turn.

Bear-off Rule

If you make a move which causes one of your doubles to be in your nearest row, then, while it is still your turn, you must remove the top checker from that double. The borne-off checker will not be reintroduced into the game. It is permanently removed from play.

Note: Bearing off is not optional. If you come to have a double in your nearest row, you must immediately bear off.

Example:

Figure a

Figure b

Black has an opportunity to bear off in Figure a. He slides his double into the unoccupied square in his nearest row, and immediately removes the top checker of that double as shown in Figure b.

Crown Rule

After you make a move or remove one of your checkers, you may find that you have a single in your furthest row. And you may also have other singles on the board. In this case, while it is still your turn, you must "crown" the single in your furthest row. To do so, you take one of your other singles from the board and stack it onto the single in your furthest row.

If you come to have two singles in your furthest row, you must immediately select one of them and stack it onto the other.

If you come to have one single in your furthest row, and no other singles on the board, then you cannot crown during your current turn.

Note: Crowning is not optional.

Examples:

Figure a

Figure b

Black has an opportunity to crown in Figure a. He slides his lower left single into his furthest row, and then immediately uses his other single to crown it as shown in Figure b.

Figure a

Figure b

Black's only available move in Figure a is a transpose as shown in Figure b. This leaves a single in Black's furthest row, but he has no other singles on the board to use for a crown. So Black's single is left uncrowned for now.

Quote: I WILL NOT XEROX MY BUTT
Author: Bart Simpson on chalkboard in episode 7F01