Antipod
No. of Players
Two
Equipment
Antipod is played on two hexagonal grids, themselves composed of hexagons, which are a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional sphere as seen from two opposite sides.
History
Antipod was invented by Cameron Browne in 2003.
Objective
The objective of Black is to form a chain of black counters between the antipodal goals of each board half and in doing so wins the game. White wins by preventing a Black win. Conversely, it can be said that white wins by forming a loop of white counters around at least one of Black’s antipodal goals. Draws are impossible.
Play
As shown above, the game is set up with a black counter in the center position of each half, forming Black’s antipodal goals, and white pieces placed at the six corners of each board, forming White’s handicap counters. Alternate turns entail the placement of a single counter at any vacant position on either board with Black moving first. If any counter is placed on an edge cell of one board, then a duplicate counter of the same color is automatically placed at the same cell on the other board. Such duplicate pairs actually represent a single counter played on the equator of the sphere but viewed simultaneously from two sides, offering continuous connections between the two boards.
A completed game with victory for Black
Strategy
Variations
Smaller board sizes favor Black, while larger board sizes favor White.
Sources