Blogs

Where does time disappear to?  It is months since I added to EAG - partly due to necessary garden work in the unusually dry winter period, but mainly due to my excursion back into some game programming.  Articles from this endeavour on Noughts and Crosses and 1 Dimensional Phutball to follow . . . hopefully soon.

What is the difference between Draughts & Checkers?  New article motivated by my recent games of International Checkers with Dr.Dave.

Recently introduced a friend to Amazons, which gave me the impetus to collect my knowledge into an EAG article.

Article on Sim now published.  A pencil & paper game ideal for children, based on a mathematical theorem in graph theory!

Just published an article about Fanorona - not a game that I am ever likely to be good at!

Happy New Year!  Longest break between blog entries to date - dry autumn so loads of work in the garden; and I've had a complete kitchen & utility room refit (no cooker or sink for 5 weeks made life tricky!); and then Christmas.  However, into a proper Exeter winter now, so I hope to produce a substantial number of articles on different games before the better spring weather arrives . . . .

Yesterday, my very nice colleague Dr Dave gave me a homemade Push Fight set.  Many thanks Dave - that goes way beyond supporting me with the website!

See the article Push Fight for a picture and simple problem.

Played Push Fight for the first time since January today . . . I love that game!  It has probably taken over as my favourite from Hex which has been in my topspot for decades.  Not as calculatingly technical as hex, it has what feels like tense, hand-to-hand, close combat until a win appears. 6/6 for me.

I have now added articles on single pile Nim and multiple pile Nim, starting with '3,4,5', as well as the first of several Nim variants.  See the menu on the main Abstract Games page.

The summer weather is due to be glorious for a while now, so I will be in the garden rather than thinking about EAG.

4 days ago, whilst checking facts online for my Hex article, I discovered a new book on Hex by Ryan B. Hayward, with Bjarne Toft.  Ordered it online late in the evening, delivered 2 days later, now read!  Great book!  Lots of detailed history from the origins of Hex, as Polygon in Denmark in 1942, through to today.  Lots of pictures of original documents, development of Piet Hein's idea and similar games through to the game we know today, John Nash's independent invention (?!), strategy ideas without becoming too heavy, computer robot players and lots of puzzles.  Expensive at £29.68 but worth it!