Abalone !

[Skybird]

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Abalone.JPG

Since we had, and have (and will have), public correspondence chess matches here, and since I repeatedly mentioned "Abalone", I do not want to hide this introduction on Abalone that I just have found. The game has surprising strategical depth, paired with rules that are both simple and elegant. Everyone interested in chess, checkers, Go, should have a closer look at it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abalone_%28board_game%29

And here you can find some complex threads that illustrate how serious the theory for this game can be.

http://148009.aceboard.net/

Although I love the game, due to it'S challenge and elegance, i must admit that I never really got into it, somehow I can't get into the thinking patterns needed for playing Abalone successfully, and cannot calculate the moves well. I'm a chessie, forever. Nevertheless, there seem to be more clever people so that they even hold european tournaments and official correspondence matches.

At the end of the wikipedia entry there are some links for programs, or online playing against computers, so you can get a taste of it, if you want.

Fascinating stuff!