I shall be publishing some fantastic strategy games over the next few weeks which can really help children develop their logical thinking and predicting what will happen. This is a great little game that does not need a lot of equipment and only takes a short time to play, but can get quite addictive. It’s a good idea to test out if going first or second leads to any advantage, and if so how this can be maximised. I will leave it up to you to decide!
Equipment:
Two sets of four counters.
A playing board
Rules:
This is a game for two people.
Each player has four counters.
The aim of the game is to get the four counters in a straight line.
The player going first places a counter on one of the circles.
Then the second player places one of his/her counters on a circle. This continues until all the counters have been placed.
If neither player has got 4 counters in a straight line then the first player slides a counter along a line to a circle that is not already covered.
The other player then slides a counter to an adjacent circle. Counters can only move along one line into an empty space. They cannot jump over counters.
If a player cannot move a counter she/he misses a go.
This is best played at a fast pace and a time limit set for winning.
On the first page you will find a board which can be printed out onto card. It is a good idea to cut out and either laminate or ‘sticky back’ this board.