Lines off Action

Lines off Action is a combinative play of strategy abstracted for two players invented by Claude Soucie. The rules were presented in 1969 but the first edition goes back to 1988.

History

Lines off Action started to have a broader diffusion during its publication in the book of Sid Sackson, has Gamut off Ranges . However, if the play knew a certain passion in North America, it is not the same in Europe where it is still largely ignored.

These last years, not only the play of the best human players clearly improved, but simultaneously of excellent computer programs were born. The level of play continuous to improve as well at the human ones as at the computers, but for the moment, the best player in the world is the MIA program. MIA took the first place at the time of 8th, 9th and 11th Olympiads of computers.

Claude Soucie, the creator of leasing , died whereas its play started to interest of many players. Certain points of very precise rules were standardized without being able to call upon Claude Soucie. Sid Sackson was very close to Claude Soucie and in all the situations which could give place to debate, the position of Sid Sackson is generally accepted like good founded.

Rules

Installation

Lines off Action is played on a chess-board standard. One uses the same algebraic notation as with the Jeu of failures for the lines and the columns.

Each player controls 12 ladies which are placed at the beginning as on the diagram below:

Goal of the play

The goal of the play for each player is to manage to connect all its parts together. Connections can be done in the 8 directions, therefore by a side or an angle.

Rules of displacement and capture

the players play in turn. It is Noir which starts.
the ladies can move horizontally, vertically or in diagonal.
a lady moves exactly as many boxes as there are ladies - friend or unfavourable - on the line where she moves.
a lady can pass above a lady of its camp, but not above an unfavourable lady.
a lady can finish its movement on a box occupied by an unfavourable lady, this one then is captured and withdrawn from the play.

Some explanations

Black thus starts.

It decides, share example, to open with a movement c8-c6. Its lady goes down from two boxes because there are two ladies on the line (c8-c1) along which it moves.

A lady cannot jump over an unfavourable lady. Thus, in the diagram below, Blanc cannot play a6-d6, although there are 3 ladies in the 6th line. On the other hand, Blanc can play a6-c4, moving of two boxes because there are two ladies on the diagonal (a6-f1) along which Blanc moves.

A lady can jump over friendly pawns. Thus, Noir can continue with e8-b5, jumping its own lady. Black moves of three boxes because there are three ladies on the diagonal (a4-e8) along which it moves.

A lady can land on a box occupied by an unfavourable lady. The unfavourable part then is captured and withdrawn from the play. For example, Blanc can play h3-f1, capturing the black lady in f1.

The goal of the play is not the capture of the unfavourable parts. A player who would not have any more that one lady would gain the part since all its parts by definition would then be joined together.

So following a capture, each of the two players is found simultaneously with the whole of its connected parts, then is it is the player who carried out the capture which is the winner, that is to say there is equality, according to the rules adopted by the organizers of the tournament.

Simultaneous connection

In the first edition of 1969 of Gamut has off Ranges , simultaneous connections were regarded as a null part. In the second edition, the rules were modified and it is known as that it is the player who has just played which is the winner. In foreword of the second edition, Sid Sackson indicates that it is at the request of Claude Soucie that it eliminated the possibility of null part.

However, in spite of the expressed intention of the author, the majority of the tournaments announce that simultaneous connection will be treated like a null part.

In the diagram below, Blanc could move and capture in h8-f6, which would have like result for the two players connecting the totality of their parts. However if the rules of the tournament declare that it is of null and not about a victory of White, this one will have better party to rather play g5-g8 which gains without dispute.

Strategy

The play can become completely tactical in phase of opening where the ladies on the two sides are very mobile. The strategic depth of the play, however, largely consists in arriving to blockade situations or of limitation of the possibilities of the adversary. It can be very advantageous to block one or more unfavourable ladies against the edge of the apron while moving along the second line or column.

To have more ladies is generally an advantage, because they can limit the options of the adversary by forming a stopping together. However, the number of ladies is not so important, because the less one has some, the less one has some to join together.

Part of example

The diagrams above were especially to illustrate the rules, but they inevitably do not show a very beautiful part. The diagrams below are closer to a part between experts.

Black starts with b1-b3. The lady moves of two boxes because there are two ladies on the line: b1 and b8. This movement does not offer to Blanc any possibility of capture. On the contrary, it limits the possibilities of White by wedging it on column A.

White plays h4-f2. The lady moves of two boxes because there are two ladies on the diagonal: h4 and e1. White limits the possibilities of Black on the line of bottom.

Black plays d1: a4, jumping over its own lady (what is authorized) and capturing the white lady in a4. Black moved of three boxes since it has had three ladies on the diagonal: a4, b3, and d1.

It is not obvious to know if the capture is advantageous or not. Black has a lady moreover now but the movement does not lead to a blocking of White nor to the constitution of a central group for Noir. Usually, the fast captures on the edges are not truly interesting whereas the captures in the center are often very good.

White plays H2-e2, continuing to block the first line. The lady moves of three boxes, jumping over a friendly lady.

Although Blanc started as a second, it already seems to have the advantage because it knew to limit the possibilities of Black on its first line. White will then probably play a2-d2, continuing to build its wall of stopping and forcing the black lady in d1 to leave by a side if she wants to join the remainder of the parts of her Noir camp can try to leave itself there while playing e1-c3, but that will not prevent Blanc from capturing with a5: c3.

A little tactic

On the figure below, it is in Noir to play. White threatens to gain in two turns:

a2-c2
c2-e2

What can make Noir?

The movement b4-d2 would help Blanc. On the line one would find three cards now, which would make it possible Blanc to play a2-d2 and to gain.

By moving b3-c2, with an aim of blocking horizontal line 2 in Blanc, one makes it possible to him to play a2: d5, which it could not do before.

By moving b4-b2, Noir would block the road of line 2 without opening the diagonal. But then, Blanc would answer c5-b4, while threatening to gain then with a2-a3. And Black would not have any gaining movement.

The reader can test other options for Noir. As a practitioner, one can test new strategies and one frequently discovers surprising blows.

Example of gained part

In the diagram below, Blanc comes to move the part which finishes its regrouping. One needed two more turns for Noir to join together to them his.

Zen the initiate

The play Zen the initiate (DJ Games) is based on the same principles as leasing : displacement and goal of the play are identical. The apron made 11x11 boxes and the placement of the parts at the beginning are different. Another difference is the existence of a part neutral, red, which can be moved or captured by the two players. If it is on the play, it must belong to the regrouping to gain.

Zen the initiate was preceded with the Festival of the plays of Cannes in 1997.

At the request of the widow of Claude Soucie, the authors added his name on the box.

External bonds

Rules in French
Web site of Lines off Action
Sid Sackson, has Gamut off Ranges , ISBN 0-486-27347-4

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