Nomino

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain...
Ecclesiastes 3. A Time for Everything.

NOMINO
Kosintsev I.G.
kosintsev.i.g@gmail.com
(03.06.2010)

Hello players! I had experimented with the polycubes (solid polyominoes) [1] and had went by this way to the new game titled “Nomino” more perfect then "Omino" studied before.
This 100-squares board game has wide strategic and tactical possibilities and at the same time is using a classical set of 20 red (white) and 20 black checkers.
The initial position at the game Nomino with the standard 10x10 board is follows.



The nomino set.

Vertically or horizontally adjacent checkers (originally called squares) of the one color with the number or with the label form a labeled polyomino (simply called a nomino) that moves as one hole piece, can be subdivided, and in effect becomes several nominos. It is clear that the labeled polyomino is the subclass of the polycube. Nominoes may be expanded by moving additional checkers on adjacent squares, or upon another checkers or connected together by moving a checker or a nomino on a squaress that are adjacent to one or more nominoes of the same color.
Nominoes with from 1 to 8 checkers are called respectively monocube, dicube, tricube, tetracube, pentacube, hexacube, heptacube, octocube.





1. (P) Pawn was composed of one checker (monocube).
2. (S) Sergeant (Graz pawn) was composed of two checkers (one double or turned over checker, dicube).
3. (H) Horse (Centurion) was composed of two checkers (dicube).
4. (N) Ninja was composed of three checkers (tricube).
5. (B) Bishop was composed of three checkers (tricube).
6. (E) Episcope was composed of four checkers (tetracube).
7. (C) Cardinal was composed of five checkers (pentacube).
8. (R) Rook was composed of four checkers (tetracube).
9. (G) General was composed of five checkers (pentacube).
10. (R) Marshal was composed of six checkers (hexacube).
11. (Q) Queen was composed of seven checkers (heptacube).
12. (K) King was composed of eight checkers (octocube).

The additional extra nomino for the professionals.


E1. (A) Adjutant was composed of four checkers (tetracube).
E2. (M) Mirror was composed of six checkers (hexacube).
E3. (J) Joker was composed of five checkers (pentacube).
E4. (W) Wisemen was composed of six checkers (hexacube).

Rules:

1. The orthogonal mode of the movement O or O(n), where n is the number of the path cells.



2. The diagonal mode of the movement D or D(n), where n is the number of the path cells.



3. The second neighbor mode of the movement S.



4.The mirror mode of the movement (the diagonal with reflection) M.

Each nomino has its own style of moving.
1. (P) The pawn moves, without capturing, by O(1) mode and captures by D(1) mode.
2. (S) The sergeant moves by O(1) or by D(1) mode.
3. (H) The horse moves by S mode.
4. (N) The ninja moves by O(1) or by D(1) or by S modes.
5. (B) The bishop moves by D mode.
6. (E) The episcope moves by D or by O(1) modes.
7. (C) The cardinal moves by D or by S modes.
8. (R) The rook moves by O mode.
9. (G) The general moves by O or by D(1) modes.
10. (M) The marshal moves by O or by S modes.
11. (Q) The queen moves by O or by D modes.
12. (K) The king moves by O or by D or by S modes.

The extra nominoes have such styles of moving.
1. (A) The adjutant moves by O(n) or by D(n) mode, where n is 1,2,3.
2. (M) The mirror moves by M mode.
3. (J) The joker moves by O(n), where n is 1,2,3, or by D mode.
4. (W) The wisemen moves by O or by D(n) mode, where n is 1,2,3.

The fundamental rule of the game Nomino.
The sum of the moved to and arranged in one square checkers on every step of the move before the last aim position is less or equal two.
The sum of the own moved to and arranged in one last aim square checkers before the move is less or equal two, i.e. moves are made by a double checkers of any nomino to vacant or occupied by opponent checkers squares and one checker of any nomino to vacant or occupied by opponent checkers or no more then one own checker squares.

When a (double) checker of the nomino moves to a square occupied by opponent's checkers, the attacking checker replaces the oponent checkers on its square, i.e. captures oponent checkers as part of the same move. The captured checkers is thus removed from the board and may not be returned to play for the remainder of the game.

The promotion.
When the checker with or without the nomino reaches the last rank, a player is getting right to put into play under own control the additional outside checker. On any turn, instead of moving a nomino on the board, a player may take one checker and place it on any empty or occupied by one own checker square. The piece is now part of the forces controlled by that player.

Other rules of this game are identical with rules of classical chess [2].

The aim of the game is to capture all opponent's checkers or make them impossible to move.

Internet resources:
1. Draughts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draughts
2. Chess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess
3. Shogi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogi
4. Go.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game)
5. Blokus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blokus
6. Gess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gess
7. Polyomino.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyomino
8. Polyominoes: puzzles, patterns, problems, and packings.
By Solomon W. Golomb, 1965 (1994).
9. Polyform.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyform
10. Cheskers (invented by Solomon W. Golomb).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheskers