L game
The L game is a simple abstract strategy board game invented by Edward de Bono. It was introduced in his book The Five-Day Course in Thinking (1967).
Description
The L game is a two-player game played on a board of 4×4 squares. Each player has a 3×2 L-shaped tetromino, and there are two 1×1 neutral pieces.
Rules
On each turn, a player must first move their L piece, and then may optionally move either one of the neutral pieces. The game is won by leaving the opponent unable to move their L piece to a new position.
Pieces may not overlap or cover other pieces, or let the pieces off the board. On moving the L piece, it is picked up and then placed in empty squares anywhere on the board. It may be rotated or even flipped over in doing so; the only rule is that it must end in a different position from the position it started—thus covering at least one square it did not previously cover. To move a neutral piece, a player simply picks it up then places it in an empty square anywhere on the board.
Strategy
One basic strategy is to use a neutral piece and one's own piece to block a 3×3 square in one corner, and use a neutral piece to prevent the opponent's L piece from swapping to a mirror-image position. Another basic strategy is to move an L piece to block a half of the board, and use the neutral pieces to prevent the opponent's possible alternate positions.
These positions can often be achieved once a neutral piece is left in one of the eight killer spaces on the perimeter of the board. The killer spaces are the spaces on the perimeter, but not in a corner. On the next move, one either makes the previously placed killer a part of one's square, or uses it to block a perimeter position, and makes a square or half-board block with one's own L and a moved neutral piece.
Analysis
In a game with two
Even if neither player plays perfectly, defensive play can continue indefinitely if the players are too cautious to move a neutral piece to the killer positions. If both players are at this level, a sudden-death variant of the rules permits one to move both neutral pieces after moving. A player who can look three moves ahead can defeat defensive play using the standard rules.[clarification needed]
See also
Reviews
References
- ^ "Games and Puzzles 1974-11: Iss 30". A H C Publications. November 1974.
Other sources
- LCCN 67027438.
- ISBN 0-19-212998-8.
- ISBN 0-14-00-5682-3.