Room and Pillar

Room and Pillar is an abstract strategy game that challenges your planning and pattern recognition skills. Played on a rectangular grid inspired by Kōnane, an ancient Hawaiian game, the board starts fully filled with black and white stones in a checkerboard pattern. Each player, represented by a color, removes one stone per turn, starting with black. The crucial rule? Never leave a 2x2 empty space. The goal is to be the last player to make a valid move. If you can’t move, you lose! The game also features the 'pie rule,' where the second player can choose to swap colors and take the first move instead. Inspired by the 'room and pillar' mining process, the game balances simplicity and strategic depth, perfect for fans of direct mental challenges.