Blob Chess

[Mel-o-rama]

I invented a new game last night. I wanted to present it to y'all, and ask your opinions. Is this a real game in which you can plan real strategy? Is it a game that will always end in a draw? Or does one side have an unfair advantage? Is it interesting enough?

Also, the rules are so simple, I wouldn't be surprised if someone else thought of it first. So let me know if you've heard of this before somewhere.

Starting the game: You play on an 8x8 chessboard. You set up the pieces as you do in normal chess (ie 2 rows of pieces on each side). In this game, every piece is equal, so you can replace the chess pieces with checkers. In fact, this game may be better played with checkers, but that doesn't really matter. Every piece is called a bit (as in "a bit of the blob").

Goal: To capture or immobilize all of your opponent's bits.

Moving the bits: In general, you move bits like you would move a king in chess - one square in any direction - horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. But there are two restrictions on moving a bit:

#1) You can only move a bit that is adjacent (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) to another one of your bits.

#2) You can only move a bit to a square that is adjacent (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) to another one of your bits.

These rules mean that lonely bits (not adjacent to any other bits) can't move until a blob comes around to absorb it. Also, these rules allow you to break your blob into two or more pieces. Additionally, you can move such that you leave behind lonely bits (but you may not want to).

Also, if you have two blobs near each other with only one square in between them, a bit at one of the ends can actually jump from one blob to the other as long as you hold to the above 2 restrictions.

Capturing: You capture as you would in chess. That is, if you can move a bit (holding to the above 2 restrictions) to a square occupied by an opponent's bit, you may remove your opponent's bit and move your bit to that square. Of course, your opponent may or may not be able to capture your bit in retaliation.

Strategy: A group of bits attached to each other is called an n-blob where n is the number of bits in the blob. At the beginning of the game, you start with a 16-blob, which you can split up into 2 8-blobs, or a 5-blob and an 11-blob. A 1-blob is a lonely bit and cannot move.

Obviously, smaller blobs can move faster than bigger blobs, but a bigger blob can probably destroy any smaller blob that approaches to attack.

If one of your opponent's blob is stretched out, you may try to attack the middle and break his blob into 2 or more smaller blobs.

If your opponent is reduced to only 1-blobs, you win since he can't move anymore. (Note: if your opponent cannot move, but you can, it is a win for you, not a draw as it would be in regular chess.)

I think a 3-blob beats a 2-blob. Though the 2-blob can run a little faster, I think the 3-blob can follow and trap the 2-blob against the side or a corner. If this is true, then a winning strategy may include trying to gain a one bit advantage and exchanging all the rest of your bits.

I'm not sure if a 2-blob vs. 2-blob is a draw. It could be that the blob closer to the center may have a win-able advantage.

How do blobs approach each other in the beginning? Someone has to be the first to put their bit in harm's way. Actually, I take that back. It's possible to place a bit in position to capture in the next move such that your opponent can't capture you first.

So, what do you think? Does this game have merit?

16 pieces might be too many? I could see a lot of stalemates - esp where you can't capture your opponent's piece because you don't have 1 adjacent....

maybe that logic is too simplistic and I haven't thought it through. I am intrigued

[MNBridge]

I have never seen this before and yes it sounds like a good strategy game.

Have you tried it yet?

[Mel-o-rama]

Originally Posted by MNPoker

I have never seen this before and yes it sounds like a good strategy game.

Have you tried it yet?

I played my daughter last night. I let her win. She even analyzed the last position for me. She had a 3-blob lined up along the c-file against my 2-blob on the a-file. She showed that no matter wherever I moved, she could capture me. It was interesting to play.

BTW, she suggests that black gets to go first (like in Go).

[Hagbard Celine]

Originally Posted by Mel-o-rama

I let her win.

Liar! I don't question that she won, I question the "let her" part.

Blob chess smack talk!

[1695814]

Originally Posted by Mel-o-rama

BTW, she suggests that black gets to go first (like in Go).

and in checkers?

[Mel-o-rama]

Originally Posted by 1695814

and in checkers?

Oh yeah. I forgot about that. She knows how to play checkers. Maybe that's why she wanted black! Why, that little ...

[Mel-o-rama]

Hey, y'all. The plot thickens. Over the weekend, I realized that I can adapt "Blob Chess" so that we can play a variant on any chess software (human vs. human - only). In fact, this variant may be more interesting than "pure" blob chess. Here is how the rules go:

Blob Chess - the Variant

STARTING THE GAME: Set up the pieces as in normal chess. White goes first.

MOVING THE PIECES: Pieces move as they do in normal chess, but with the following restrictions:

Restriction #1) You may move a piece ONLY if it is adjacent (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) to another one of your pieces.

Restriction #2) You may move a piece to any square ONLY if that square is adjacent (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) to another one of your pieces.

Note that these restrictions imply that a lone piece cannot move at all.

KING IN CHECK: The rules for checking the king are the same as in regular chess. If you are attacking your opponent's king, he is in check even if your attacking piece would not be able to make the capturing move due to one of the above two restrictions. If a king is in check, he is obligated to get out of check or lose the game. (You can think of it this way: each player has only one "bullet" in which he can shoot a piece at the king. You never actually shoot this bullet, but the threat of the bullet is why the king needs to get out of check.)

WINNING THE GAME: There are two ways to win this game.

#1) Immobilize all of your opponents pieces.
#2) Put your opponent in Blobmate.

BLOBMATE: This is when you put your opponent in check, and he is unable to get out of check.

All checkmates in regular chess are blobmate.

A lone king is unable to move. If a lone king is in check, and no piece can capture the attacking piece or move in front of the king, it is blobmate.

If the only way to get out of check in normal chess is for the king to violate one of the two restrictions above, he cannot move. It is blobmate.

THERE IS NO STALEMATE. If for some reason, your opponent cannot move any of his pieces, (whether it be a stalemate in as in regular chess, or your opponent cannot move due to the above two restrictions), then you have succeeded in immobilizing his pieces and you win the game.

However, both players may agree to a draw if it is clear that neither side can win.

MISCELLANEOUS POINTS: The above rules should be sufficient to fully describe the game of Blob Chess - the Variant, but here are some further points of clarification.

All "special" moves are allowed as long as the two restrictions above are satisfied. This includes castling, capturing en pessant, moving pawns two spaces on their first move, and promoting pawns.

In order to castle, both the king and rook must be adjacent (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) to other pieces. After the castling, the king and rook are adjacent to each other, so there is no restriction there. In fact, it may be possible that you castle into a 2-blob consisting of only your king and rook.

It is perfectly legal for one piece to "jump" long distance from one blob to another as long as that piece is adjacent to another one of your pieces before and after it moves.

Also, a lone piece may deliver (discovered) check.

STRATEGY: I have no idea what kind of strategy to use. Good luck.

So, would anyone like to play?

I am going out of town tonight, so I can play a little today, but I won't be back until Friday. You can also play amongst yourselves, but I'd like to see your games to see how they play out. Anyone interested?

[1695814]

holy smokes...you're giving me a headache...this reminds me of the poker games the guys used to come up with.

[Mel-o-rama]

Hey, thanks for the link, RSF!!!

I'm not able to start playing this variant with anyone right now since I'm kind of still on vacation, and I'm concentrating on keeping up with Season VI chess. However, I would like to try this out in the near future. Stay tuned for a formal invitation (possibly after exams or after I get back from vacation).