Macadam rules

• Players: 2
• Ages: 8 and up
• Time: 15 minutes
• Luck: none
• Skill: some

• Pawns: Each player has a set of eight pawns of one color.

• Board: The board is an 8×8 grid, like a chessboard. A center lane divides the board into two sides. Each side is marked with eight dots, which represent the starting pawn positions, and a pair of crescents to indicate the goal, as shown in the diagram.

At the start of the game, the pawns are placed upon the dots. The youngest player plays first; then the players take turns.

There are 2 ways to win at Macadam :

Victory by Goal: The winner is the first player to move one of his pawns into the opponent's two-square goal.

OR

Victory by 6-2: If player A brings at least 6 pawns into player B's side of the board, while player B only brought 2 pawns or less into player A's side, then player A wins the game.

The first player who fulfills one of the 2 winning conditions automatically wins the game.

There are two different ways for pawns to move, as shown in the diagrams (click on the links to show diagrams).

SLIDE: A pawn may slide forward, backward, left, or right any number of empty squares staying always ON ITS OWN SIDE OF THE BOARD and out of the goal. A sliding pawn cannot cross the center lane, it cannot cross or stop within the goal squares, and it cannot slide diagonally.

JUMP: A pawn may one or multiple jumps over other pawns of its OWN COLOR, in any direction including diagonally.

• Pawns are never captured.

• Jumps are always optional.

• Pawns never jump over the opponent's pawns.

• Each turn is EITHER a slide OR a jump. Players may not pass a turn.

• A player who starts his first game of Macadam must swear to teach the rules to another person by the next full moon.

* Free placement: Instead of starting with the pawns on the dots, players may take turns placing the pawns on their own side. Once all the pawns have been placed, play continues as usual.

A game by Pierre Canuel 1997 - Translated in English language by Tom Phoenix 2005 - Revised on 04/19/06 to upgrade the “6-2” rule as a default winning condition.