Let us
begin
our
exploration
of the
game
classic
Abalone
by
paying
particular
attention
to the
rule
that:
the
winner
is the
first
player
to push
a total
of SIX
of his
opponent's
marbles
off the
board.
So,
already
you're
intrigued
-
marbles,
marble-pushing,
pushing
marbles
off the
board, a
board
you can
push
marbles
off of
into.
And then
there's
the
number
six (6).
I stress
this
number
because,
after
thorough
investigation,
lasting
conceptual
days and
actally
maybe a
couple
entire
hours,
with
fewer
and
fewer
marbles
and the
way the
game can
go on
and on
and on,
it stops
being
fun.
Unless
of
course
you
remember
that
you're
supposed
to stop
playing
the game
as soon
as
soneone
has
eliminated
six of
his
opponent's
lovely
large,
shiny,
black or
white
marbles.
Marble-pushing.
Pushing
one or
two or
three of
your
marbles
in a
line, to
the next
space.
Marbles
resting
in
hexagonal
sections
of a
hexagonal
board,
with
marble-size
channels
linking
the
hive-like
cells.
Making
it
possible
to push
even
four, or
possibly
five
marbles
(three
of yours
and two
of your
opponent's,
because
to push
your
opponent's
marbles
you have
to have
more
than he
does,
and
since
you
can't
push
more
than
three of
yours,
it
stands
to
reason.
I
think
the game
designers
(Laurent
Levi and
Michel
Lalet)
wanted
you to
know
that
this
one's
going to
be fun.
Marble-pushing.
What an
interesting,
fun
thing to
do
especially
with
beautiful,
large,
glass
marbles.
So black
and
white.
So back
and
forth.
So
tempting
to make
up your
own
variations
in which
you can
push
let's
say up
to five
of your
marbles,
which
would
mean up
to four
of your
opponents,
because
it's
just so
much fun
to move
all
those
marbles
in a
row.
O there
are
rules.
Surprisingly
complex
rules
governing
how many
marbles
you can
move,
when you
can't,
how far,
each of
which
add yet
another
possible
variation
to
explore,
once
variation-exploring
is what
you're
into.
In sum,
don't
forget:
six
pieces
and the
game's
over!
Maybe
seven.
Maybe
three.
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