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3 STONES GAME®
Ages 8 - Adult
2 Players
OBJECT OF THE GAME
The object of the game is to score points by getting stones of your
color into three pockets in a row, be it across, up and down, or
diagonally.
STARTING THE GAME
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Place the stones (30 black, 30 white, 12
clear) into the pouch and mix them up. Important: We
have included a few extra stones in case any get lost or broken.
Place only the correct number of stones into the pouch.
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One player chooses "white" and the other
player chooses "black". The players decide which of them will play
first.
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Place your scoring pegs into the "zero
points" position. (see Scoring Pegs)
YOUR TURN
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At your turn, draw a stone from the pouch
and place it into an empty pocket on the board. You must play what
you draw, even if it's your opponent's color.
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If this is the first play of the game, you
may play the stone anywhere.
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Otherwise, you must play the stone into an
empty pocket in the same row or the same column as your opponent's last
play. If this is not possible, because none of those pockets are
empty, you may play the stone into any empty pocket on the board.
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Once a stone is played, it is not moved
for the remainder of the game.
CENTER OF THE BOARD
Note the empty space at the center of the
board. Think of this as a pocket that always remains empty.
So, pockets on opposite sides of the center are considered part of the
same row or column (see picture above), however you cannot score a
3-in-a-row through the center.
THE RING
The ring is used to keep track of the last
stone played. (As the board fills up, it's easy to forget which
stone was played last.) After playing a stone, place the ring over
it.
SCORING
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Each player scores 1 point for every
3-in-a-row made with their color stone, whether across, up-and-down, or
diagonally.
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A stone may be part of more than one
scoring row. For example, a line of 4 stones of one color
contains two 3-in-a-rows, each of which scores a point, while a line of
5 contains three 3-in-a-rows, and so on.
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A clear stone counts for both players.
So, a line of three stones containing both white and clear stones
scores for white. A line of three stones containing both black and
clear stones scores for black. A line of three clear stones does
not score for either player.
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For scoring purposes, it does not
matter which player played the stone. It is very common for
you to score when your opponent plays a stone of your color, or for both
players to score when one player plays a clear stone.
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Remember not to score the same 3-in-a-row
more than once. When adding a stone to an existing 3-in-a-row,
score only the newly created 3-in-a-row.
SCORING PEGS
Use your scoring pegs to keep track of
your score. The shorter row counts 10's and the longer row counts
1's.
WINNING THE GAME
FOR A GAME OF PURE SKILL
If you prefer a game of pure skill, the pouch is not used.
After choosing colors, each player takes half of the white stones, half
of the black stones, and half of the clear stones. At your turn,
select and play one of the stones from your hand.
TIMED PLAY
When playing in a more serious setting, such as a tournament, you
may use a chess clock. When using a clock, you must draw from the
pouch, make your play, move the ring, and update your scoring pegs
before stopping your clock. A player who runs out of time loses
the game. You may play using any agreed upon time limit.
Suggestion: 30 minutes per player for the standard game, 60
minutes per player for the pure skill game.
HANDICAPPING
If a player is competing against a much stronger opponent, you may
spot weaker players a few points and/or give the weaker player
additional time. Removing one or more of the stronger player's
stones from play (as is sometimes done in chess) is not recommended.
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