RULES

A group ("island") is a connected set of two or more same-colored stones. (Thus, single stones do not count as a group.) Each player is the owner of one color of stone. A group in a given color will count toward its color-owner's score, regardless of whether the color-owner or an opponent created that group.

Players are allowed two stone placements per turn, with one exception: the first player plays just one stone on his/her very first turn. A player’s two stones can be ANY color (i.e. on your turn, you needn't play any of your own color of stones if you don't wish to; you can play any set of colors or any mix of colors in a single turn).

Additionally, a player is permitted to play an extra stone (of any color of his/her choice) for every opponent who is strictly ahead of him/her in the current group score; each player's "group score" = the number of distinct groups currently on the board in his/her color.

When the board is full, or when all players have consecutively passed their turns, the game ends. The player with the most groups wins. In case of a tie, the winner is the tied player with the highest bonus score total. (Bonus scores are awarded on the game's scoring track; arriving earlier than one's opponents to a new group score grants one a higher bonus.)

For games with 3-4 players, the following "Frozen Irrelevance" rule is recommended:

o Frozen Irrelevance: When the board arrangement is such that a player's current rank (e.g. 1st, 2nd, or 3rd) is unalterable by any further play from any player, then that player's rank has assumed its final form, and he/she is "frozen" from further play. That is, he/she takes no further part in the game, and the game play continues on with just the non-frozen players.

For a complete set of rules and examples turns, see the Files section of this webpage.