Amazons

by Argentinian Walter Zamkauskas

Introduction

Eli Bachmutsky sent us this description of the game Amazons. It was posted on the newsgroup rec.games.abstract on 16 Dec 1994, by Ed Pegg Jr ((email removed contact us for address) com.com). The rules have been published in World Game Review and Games.

History

El Juego de las Amazonas was invented in 1988 by Walter Zamkauskas of Argentina, and first published (in Spanish) in issue number 4 of the puzzle magazine El Acertijo in December of 1992. The game was informally introduced to the postal gaming club The Knights of the Square Table by Michael Keller in 1993, where it gained immediate popularity. An authorized translation by Mr. Keller was published in January 1994 in World Game Review. The first international match was a friendly team match, played by fax between Argentina and the United States in 1994-1995; the six games were split 3-3. A team postal match between Italy and the United States is in progress.

El Juego de las Amazonas (The Game of the Amazons) is a trademark of Ediciones de Mente. For more information, contact : Jaime Poniachik, Publicaciones Aperiodicas, Casilla de Correo 74, Sucursal 12, 1412 Buenos Aires, Argentina (fax. 054-1-962-8343).

See also:

• Michael Keller's pages on this game and a computer program for it. (Link.)

Equipment

4 red tokens, 4 blue tokens, 92 black Go stones, and a 10x10 board.

Rules

1. Red has amazons on A4/D1/G1/J4, Blue has amazons on A7/D10/G10/J7.

2. Red starts, and turns alternate. On each turn, a player's amazon moves like a chess queen, then 'fires an arrow' a queen's move from its stopping square; both parts of the move are MANDATORY. Use the go stones to mark the arrows.

3. Amazon and arrow cannot move over or onto an occupied square. The arrow's landing place becomes a permanent block to all arrows and amazons.

4. Last player able to finish a turn wins.

Email me if you're interested in playing a game. :)

Sample Games-in-progress

Here are two sample games-in-progress:

 A:     1.      g1g9/d9         d10i5/i4
        2.      d1d4/h4         j7f3/e3
        3.      a4d7/f9         g10h9/c4
        4.      g9g3/g2         a7c7/c8
        5.      d4d3/e2         f3g4/g7
        6.      d3b3/b8         c7d6/b4
        7.      g3f4/g3         h9d5/g5
        8.      j4j7/i6         i5h6/i7
        9.      j7h9/h7         d5g8/i8
        10.     b3d1/d4         h6j4/g1
        11.     h9g9/h9         d6c6/c7
        12.     d7d5/b5         g4f5/g4
        13.     f4e5/e4         g8e6/d6
        14.     g9e7/f7         c6a6/c6
        15.     d1a4/a1

 B:     1.      d1i6/i7         d10h6/h7
        2.      g1g8/i8         g10b5/h5
        3.      i6i1/c7         b5f1/f4
        4.      g8g7/g6         f1f3/f1
        5.      j4g4/g5         a7c5/f5
        6.      g7e7/g7         j7j9/j2
        7.      a4b3/h9         f3e2/f3
        8.      b3d3/e3         c5c4/d4
        9.      e7e6/c6         e2b2/c3
        10.     d3c2/b3         c4c5/e7
        11.     e6b9/b6         c5d5/d9
        12.     b9d7/e6         j9j10/d10
        13.     d7g10/d7        j10h8/d8
        14.     c2d3/a6         h6i5/i2
        15.     g4i4/h4         h8g9/h10
  

Computer Game

The older, shareware version can be downloaded. Here is the information for it:

Computer Version -- The Game of the Amazons was programmed in Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0 for Windows by Michael Keller in April and May of 1995. The program also requires vbrun300.dll (available at most shareware sites), Windows 3.1 (not tested under 3.0), a Windows-compatible mouse, and VGA graphics. The program is provided as is, and no guarantees as to its performance are given. Reports of bugs may be sent to (email removed contact us for address) .com, or to: Michael Keller, World Game Review, 1747 Little Creek Drive, Baltimore, MD 21207-5230.

Download the Zip file here.

Screen shot of 'The Game of The Amazons'
Version 1.9
Program (c) 1995 Michael Keller

Version 2.6 (registered) is much newer, and has several improvements. For information on this version, visit Michael Keller's webpages on Amazons and his program.