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The Gauntlet BoardThe original board was quite rigid. The size was fixed at 8x8 and the colors were fixed. Only the arrows were random.
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 GauntletThe Game That Started Morpho Board! Gauntlet is a game of unequal forces for two players. Equipment: You must print out the Gauntlet board. Six chess pieces are needed. One player takes the white pieces and one player takes the black pieces. After deciding whether to play the runner or the chaser, the runner takes one rook and one bishop, while the chaser takes both rooks and both bishops. Objectives: The first player is called the runner. He takes the single rook and bishop. The goal for this player is to travel from the first row to the eighth row without being captured. He uses one piece at a time, swapping pieces only when he is unable to move his current piece. The second player is called the chaser. Using the other four pieces, she must capture the runner's piece before it reaches the eighth row. If neither player is able to make a legal move, the game ends in a "no-decision". Setup: The runner always goes first, placing either the rook or the bishop on one of the squares on the first row. Such placement is limited to squares that permit a legal move on the player's next move. A legal move for the rook is as in chess (horizontally or vertically) in the direction of the arrow beneath the rook. A legal move for the bishop is as in chess (diagonally) in the direction of the arrow beneath the bishop. In both cases, the arrow must point to at least one of the other 63 squares. The chaser places either a rook or a bishop on one of the squares on the seventh or eighth rows, subject to the same restrictions for legal moves imposed on the runner. Play: The runner must make a legal move, if possible. The piece must not jump over any other pieces. The piece must not land on a square which is in the path of one of the opposing pieces (otherwise, the runner will be captured next turn!) Even if the runner moves onto the eighth row, the chaser has one last chance to capture the piece! If the piece lands on a square from which a legal move is impossible on the next turn, the runner will use that next turn to swap his pieces. After the runner has moved or swapped pieces, the chaser may do one of two things. She may make a legal move with the piece that she placed on the board or she may place another piece on one of the squares on the seventh or eighth rows. When moving, the piece may not jump over another piece, but it may capture the opposing piece by moving onto its square (immediately winning the game for the chaser!) It is possible - and it may be desirable, for the chaser to move a piece onto a square from which a legal move is impossible on the next turn. That piece becomes a permanent obstacle for the runner. Of course, if all four of the chaser's piece are unable to move, the game ends. When placing a piece, it must be capable of moving at least once. It is permissible for either player to pick up any piece to see the arrow beneath it. Strategy: For the runner, it is imperative to find a path to the eighth rank before the chaser places more than two pieces on the board. Deliberately moving onto a square from which the current piece can't move should be done only if a clear path is guaranteed. Don't assume that a legal move directly to the eighth row is the best choice. Check the arrows on the squares leading to the target square. Since the chaser has one additional turn after you reach the eighth row, make sure that his penultimate move won't take aim at the target square. For the chaser, the most powerful defense is a rook on the eighth row "patrolling" between two widely-spaced squares having arrows that point towards each other. In fact, if the board has such a pair, the two players may simply agree that the outcome is too predictable. (You could always reorient the board so that any of the other three sides becomes the eighth row!) Another defensive strategy is to blockade paths, although you sacrifice the mobility of the blockade piece. Finally, try to visualize at least two turns ahead. When you know that the runner has to swap pieces on his next turn, you have time to try setting a trap. This is especially effective when the arrow leads toward a square that one of your pieces can reach. Variants: |