The Game of Havannah


Havannah is another game that deserves to be more widely known.  Here is an introduction to the game. 

( Text and web page by Dariusz Stachowski. )
 
 

 
   
( Games in progress. )
 

 
The Game.  Havannah was invented by Christian Freeling.  It is a connection game played between two people across a hexagonal board.  One player takes white, the other black.  Both players take turns to place a piece of their colour on the board.  Both aim to form one of three types of connection: either an enclosing circuit, or a link that connects any two corners of the board or one that connects any three edges.  The winner is the first player to create a connection.  White starts.  A game is drawn if neither player is able to form a connection.  This is possible, but rare.

 

( The three connection types.  The enclosing circuit must completely surround at least one node, occupied or not.  The corner nodes do not belong to the edges. )
 
 

An Unequal Game?  The first player will always be one tempo ahead in the race to form one of the connections.  My own suggestion to overcome this bias would be to include a swap rule; to give the second player the option to 'swap' after the first player has made his second move.  If swapped, the colours will be reversed.  The first player will take the black pieces and will play against his own first two moves.
 

( To swap, or not to swap? )
 
 

The GoRilla Game Editor.  GoRilla is an SGF game editor that can be used to analyse and review games of Havannah ( and also of Go/WeiQi, Connect6, Unlur, Othello/Reversi, Hex and Y ).  It is a compact, non-commercial program, and is available from my web page [ gorilla.html ].  I hope you will find it a useful product.

Play by eMail.  Havannah can be played by eMail via Richard Rognlie’s PBeM server [ http://www.gamerz.net/pbmserv/ ].

MindSports.  Havannah is also popular at MindSports [ http://www.mindsports.nl/index.php/arena/havannah/ ]. This site gives more information about the history and strategy of the game and gives you a list of the online sites where Havannah may be played.

 

[ The Game of Unlur ]   [ The Game of Onyx ]   [ The Game of Y ]   [ The Game of Kropki ]  

[ The GoRilla Editor ]   [ The Penguin Editor ]