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As civilization advanced and societies evolved, so too did strategy board games. New inventions such as printing technology in the 15th century allowed for mass production of game sets, making them more accessible to people from various social classes. Games like backgammon and mancala became popular
172:
There is an intimate relationship between such games and puzzles: every board position presents the player with the puzzle, What is the best move?, which in theory could be solved by logic alone. A good abstract game can therefore be thought of as a "family" of potentially interesting logic puzzles,
443:
As for the qualitative aspects, ranking abstract strategy games according to their interest, complexity, or strategy levels is a daunting task and subject to extreme subjectivity. In terms of measuring how finite a mathematical field each of the three top contenders represents, it is estimated that
149:, have the players build the starting position in a separate initial phase which itself conforms strictly to combinatorial game principles. Most players, however, would consider that although one is then starting each game from a different position, the game itself contains no luck element. Indeed,
196:
Many games which are abstract in nature historically might have developed from thematic games, such as representation of military tactics. In turn, it is common to see thematic version of such games; for example, chess is considered an abstract game, but many thematic versions, such as
115:, could be considered abstract strategy games, despite having a luck or bluffing element.) A smaller category of abstract strategy games manages to incorporate hidden information without using any random elements; the best known example is
304:
was the earliest chess variant to allow captured pieces to be returned to the board by the capturing player. This drop rule is speculated to have been invented in the 15th century and possibly connected to the practice of 15th century
136:
Some abstract strategy games have multiple starting positions of which it is required that one be randomly determined. For a game to be one of skill, a starting position needs to be chosen by impartial means. Some games, such as
98:
Combinatorial games have no randomizers such as dice, no simultaneous movement, nor hidden information. Some games that do have these elements are sometimes classified as abstract strategy games. (Games such as
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in 1883, each denouncing the other as a fraud. The game gained considerable popularity in
England at the end of the nineteenth century. The game's first reliable mention is on 21 August 1886 edition of
124:
Traditional abstract strategy games are often treated as a separate game category, hence the term 'abstract games' is often used for competitions that exclude them and can be thought of as referring to
464:
in 2008 to try to find the best abstract strategy games all-rounder. The MSO event saw a change in format in 2011 restricting the competition to players' five best events, and was renamed the
185:, no non-deterministic elements (such as shuffled cards or dice rolls), no simultaneous or hidden movement or setup, and (usually) two players or teams take a finite number of alternating
1180:
173:
and the play consists of each player posing such a puzzle to the other. Good players are the ones who find the most difficult puzzles to present to their opponents.
129:
abstract strategy games. Two examples are the IAGO World Tour (2007–2010) and the
Abstract Games World Championship held annually since 2008 as part of the
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saw the player go back to Europe during the time just before The Great War, to build alliances with other players, as to secure his safety and victory.
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893:
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432:. Abstract strategy games with hidden information, bluffing, or simultaneous move elements are better served by Von Neumann–Morgenstern
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of 10 possible games, whereas chess has approximately 10. As for Go, the possible legal game positions range in the magnitude of 10.
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Chinese scholars in antiquity. The earliest written reference to the game is generally recognized as the historical annal
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As J. Mark
Thompson wrote in his article "Defining the Abstract", play is sometimes said to resemble a series of
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saw the player try to conquer the world from other players after claiming land at the start of the game, while
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130:
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290:, represented by the pieces that would evolve into the modern pawn, knight, bishop, and rook, respectively.
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There are also many abstract video games, which include open ended solutions to problems, one example is
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210:, a game which you must deliver a set amount of shapes, but it is entirely up to you how to do so.
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dating from 3000 BC, found by
British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley in the 1920s. In the
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and related games are nearly so but feature a recognizable theme of ancient warfare; and
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Englishmen Lewis
Waterman and John W. Mollett both claim to have invented the game of
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checkerboards, found with their pieces in burial chambers, and the game was played by
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1154:"Redefining the abstract", by Cesco Reale in Abstract Games Magazine 23, Spring 2022
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is borderline since it is deterministic, loosely based on 19th-century
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is a pure abstract strategy game since it fulfills all three criteria;
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during this time, showcasing different styles of strategic gameplay.
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280–550), where its early form in the 6th century was known as
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53:, an outcome determined only by player choice (with minimal or no
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is among the oldest known games to still be widely played today.
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839:
Hodges, George, ed. (1980). "Shogi history & the variants".
1162:
687:"Abstract strategy games and other genres out of scope of IAGO"
404:
After the end of World War 2, these games became more complex.
428:
Analysis of "pure" abstract strategy games is the subject of
689:. International Abstract Games Organisation. Archived from
321:
309:
switching loyalties when captured instead of being killed.
888:(Illustrated ed.). Pearson Education. p. 333.
1125:. Mind Sports Olympiad. August 28, 2011. Archived from
357:
also mentions it. The game was later imported into the
1057:. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Archived from
1391:
1339:
1291:
1197:
436:, while those with a component of luck may require
809:Bodlaender, Hans L.; Duniho, Fergus (1996-09-09).
1082:who patented the Waterman fountain pen in 1884.
912:The sports and pastimes of the people of England
177:Many abstract strategy games also happen to be "
926:
924:
922:
294:was played on an 8×8 uncheckered board, called
155:randomization of the starting position in chess
1174:
8:
244:is believed to have originated in northwest
161:player dependence on thinking at the board.
1181:
1167:
1159:
561:List of world championships in mind sports
466:Modern Abstract Games World Championship
582:
440:incorporated into either of the above.
1055:"Warring States Project Chronology #2"
614:. Mind Sports Olympiad. Archived from
77:, and features concealed information.
1144:The University of Alberta Games Group
852:
850:
606:
604:
7:
639:"The birth of Fischer Random Chess"
353:, as being of Egyptian origin, and
760:Robinson & Estes (1996), p. 34
25:
1003:Burton, Watson (April 15, 1992).
859:"History of Strategy Board Games"
857:Richardson, Teresa (2023-08-21).
462:Abstract Games World Championship
956:Tilley, Arthur (November 1892).
529:
518:
507:
496:
485:
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168:the players pose to each other:
57:), and in which each player has
1036:from the original on 2023-03-29
821:from the original on 2019-03-24
791:. Jean-Louis Cazaux. 2005-07-25
663:Thompson, J. Mark (July 2000).
637:van Reem, Eric (May 31, 2001).
556:List of abstract strategy games
34:The abstract strategy game of
1:
1007:. Columbia University Press.
938:. 17 February 1916. p. 1
843:. No. 27. pp. 9–13.
729:"Save 65% on shapez on Steam"
340:mentioned a game, πεττεία or
253:
61:about the game. For example,
412:were released in the 1950s.
1376:Collectible miniatures game
1366:Constructible strategy game
1476:
1434:Tabletop role-playing game
1099:. Beppi.it. Archived from
1093:"Brief history of Othello"
373:was considered one of the
1149:David Eppstein's CGT page
974:10.1017/S0009840X00186433
513:David M. Pearce (England)
502:David M. Pearce (England)
491:David M. Pearce (England)
480:David M. Pearce (England)
430:combinatorial game theory
267:
1311:Dedicated deck card game
1028:Fairbairn, John (1995).
27:Mental skill based games
1455:Abstract strategy games
936:The Ellensburgh Capital
909:Strutt, Joseph (1801).
815:The Chess Variant Pages
811:"Shogi: Japanese Chess"
665:"Defining the Abstract"
643:The Chess Variant Pages
571:World Mind Sports Games
49:that has minimal or no
1349:Abstract strategy game
1217:Cooperative board game
915:. London. p. 255.
882:Oxland, Kevin (2004).
733:store.steampowered.com
535:Andres Kuusk (Estonia)
524:Andres Kuusk (Estonia)
234:
201:-themed chess, exist.
175:
95:
43:abstract strategy game
38:
1460:Games of mental skill
1429:Social deduction game
1424:Paper-and-pencil game
1301:Collectible card game
1237:Cross and circle game
1078:Note: He was not the
1030:"Go In Ancient China"
958:"Ludus Latrunculorum"
387:(c. 4th century BC).
316:A board resembling a
221:
183:no hidden information
170:
88:
33:
1222:Deduction board game
1207:Adventure board game
962:The Classical Review
566:Mind Sports Olympiad
458:Mind Sports Olympiad
446:game-tree complexity
131:Mind Sports Olympiad
1316:Shedding-type games
885:Gameplay and design
751:Leibs (2004), p. 92
709:sf-encyclopedia.com
693:on August 18, 2011.
667:. The Games Journal
398:The Saturday Review
375:four essential arts
364:ludus latrunculorum
320:board was found in
59:perfect information
1306:Deck-building game
1249:Running-fight game
1123:"MSO XV Pentamind"
932:"Lure of checkers"
778:Bird (1893), p. 63
438:probability theory
235:
181:"; i.e., there is
96:
75:Napoleonic warfare
39:
1442:
1441:
1331:Trick-taking game
1129:on July 22, 2012.
1014:978-0-231-06715-7
895:978-0-321-20467-7
863:The Gamers Guides
705:"SFE: Board Game"
618:on March 25, 2012
328:are specimens of
16:(Redirected from
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1326:Tarot card games
1269:Chinese dominoes
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410:Diplomacy (game)
377:of the cultured
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1371:Miniatures game
1354:Connection game
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1259:Tile-based game
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551:Game complexity
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460:first held the
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1138:External links
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1103:on 16 May 2009
1097:Othello Museum
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1080:Lewis Waterman
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968:(8): 335–336.
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272:four divisions
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47:strategy game
45:is a type of
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18:Abstract game
1348:
1127:the original
1117:
1105:. Retrieved
1101:the original
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1063:. Retrieved
1059:the original
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1038:. Retrieved
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691:the original
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669:. Retrieved
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616:the original
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379:aristocratic
369:
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359:Roman Empire
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334:Queen Hatasu
315:
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250:Gupta Empire
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157:in order to
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90:
42:
40:
1254:Tables game
1244:Legacy game
789:"Ashtapada"
434:game theory
406:Risk (game)
346: [
307:mercenaries
105:, Octiles,
1449:Categories
1359:Tafl games
1276:Train game
1199:Board game
1065:2007-11-30
1040:2007-11-02
942:2009-04-16
868:2024-05-25
825:2012-03-08
795:2013-07-16
738:2024-05-23
714:2022-08-21
577:References
424:Comparison
292:Chaturanga
259:chaturaṅga
231:board game
229:playing a
108:Can't Stop
81:Definition
55:randomness
1419:Piecepack
1399:Dice game
1293:Card game
1232:Race game
1212:Amerigame
1107:4 January
990:246880710
982:0009-840X
452:Champions
418:Diplomacy
384:Zuo Zhuan
297:ashtāpada
288:chariotry
284:elephants
248:, in the
199:Star Wars
153:promoted
89:The game
1409:Megagame
1321:Patience
1264:Dominoes
1227:Eurogame
1034:Archived
819:Archived
671:July 27,
648:July 27,
622:July 27,
540:See also
318:Draughts
276:infantry
274: –
264:Sanskrit
223:Achilles
159:increase
118:Stratego
113:Sequence
102:Continuo
92:Stratego
71:Stratego
1383:Wargame
1192:by type
392:Reversi
343:Petteia
280:cavalry
268:चतुरङ्ग
238:Mancala
214:History
166:puzzles
1011:
988:
980:
892:
527:2013:
516:2012:
505:2011:
494:2010:
483:2009:
472:2008:
286:, and
207:Shapez
140:Arimaa
127:modern
111:, and
1392:Other
986:S2CID
841:Shogi
355:Homer
350:]
338:Plato
302:Shogi
246:India
242:Chess
189:turns
146:DVONN
67:chess
1281:18XX
1109:2015
1009:ISBN
978:ISSN
890:ISBN
673:2017
650:2017
624:2017
456:The
414:Risk
408:and
227:Ajax
225:and
143:and
970:doi
41:An
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371:Go
348:el
336:.
322:Ur
300:.
282:,
278:,
266::
254:c.
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63:Go
36:Go
1182:e
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