Breakthrough Five
Two players, one board, five squares a side. Reaching the far rank is not enough — you have to still be standing on it when your turn comes round again, so your opponent gets one move to throw you off.
Blue to move.
Winning
- You win if your turn begins with one of your pieces on the far rank — the shaded one. Getting there does not win on its own; surviving the reply does.
- You also win by taking every enemy piece, or by leaving your opponent no legal move.
How it moves
- Pawn (🔵🔴) — one square in any direction.
- Rook (🏰🏯) — one or two squares along a rank or file, not through pieces.
- Bishop (🔷🔶) — one or two squares diagonally, not through pieces.
- Landing on an opposing piece captures it.
- Tap or click a piece to select it, then tap a highlighted square. Arrow keys and Enter work too.
Why two squares
With unlimited range the opening files and diagonals run clear from one back rank to the other, and Blue's rook simply slides to the far rank on move one. Capping the slide is what turns the board into a game: a search over these rules finds no forced win for either side within eight plies.