Sports Dots. Rules of the game

1.1 The game is played on a flat field divided by lines intersecting at right angles into equal-sized square cells.

1.2 The intersection of two lines is called a point.

1.3. The points are numbered in Arabic numerals, starting with one: horizontally - from left to right, vertically - from bottom to top.

1.4 Size of the playing field: 39 points horizontally and 32 points vertically.

1.5. Field color is white, line color is gray.

2.1. There are two sides in the game. One player plays for each side.

2.2. The moves of the parties are recorded on the playing field by placing game pieces in points.

2.3. The moment of a move is the contact of a chip or an object that applies dye to a chip with the surface of the field.

2.4. The sides make moves strictly in turn.

2.5. You cannot skip a move.

2.6. It is not possible to undo a previously made move.

2.7. The first move in the game belongs to the “blue” side, the second to the “red” side.

2.8. Once placed, chips remain on the playing field until the end of the game.

2.9. It is prohibited to place chips in points occupied by other chips or excluded from the game in the manner prescribed by Article 5.7 of these Rules.

2.10. The coordinates of a move are written as two Arabic numerals separated by a hyphen, where the first digit indicates the location of the game piece along the horizontal axis, and the second along the vertical axis.

3.1. The game piece is called a “dot”.

3.2. The shape of the dot is a uniformly colored circle.

3.3. The size of the dot must be such that four dots placed at the corners of one cell do not touch each other.

3.4. The “blue” side plays with blue dots, the “red” side plays with red dots.

4.1 The game begins from the starting position with an initial cross.

4.2. Initial cross is a pre-set symmetrical figure formed by two pairs of dots of each color, located at the corners of one cell in such a way that dots of the same color are connected by an imaginary diagonal.

4.3. Coordinates of the dots that make up the initial cross: 20-17, 21-16 (blue), 20-16, 21-17 (red).

4.4. During the competition, for replays of games that ended in a draw, a starting position with four initial crosses, symmetrically located around the geometric center of the field, is allowed. The exact coordinates of the points that make up these crosses are established by the competition organizers.

5.1 The objective of the game is to surround the opponent's points.

5.2. Encirclement – ​​creation of an encirclement chain around one or more dots of one color, that is, a continuous closed broken line drawn through points of another color that are no more than one cell apart horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

5.3. At the moment of closing the circuit of the encirclement, imaginary lines connecting the dots forming this circuit are drawn on the playing field in the same color as the above-mentioned dots.

5.4. The encirclement chain at the moment of closure divides the space of the playing field into two areas: external and internal. The external area, lying between the encirclement chain and the edges of the playing field, does not change its properties, and the internal area opposite it becomes the encirclement region.

5.5. The encirclement region is a space of the playing field limited by a chain of encirclements of one color, which may contain empty points, dots and/or other encirclement regions of the same color and must contain at least one dot of a different color that is not excluded from the game at the time of creation of this encirclement region.

5.6. The smallest possible encirclement region is one formed by four dots of one color placed around one dot of another color. The maximum size of the encirclement region is limited by the size of the playing field.

5.7. The encirclement region is painted in the color of the encirclement chain that formed it at the moment of creation. In this case, dots of the same color and empty points located inside the region are excluded from the game, and dots of a different color are considered surrounded and are also excluded from the game.

5.7.1. A dot that is disabled from the game cannot be used as a link in the encirclement chain.

5.7.2. It is not allowed to put dots of any color in a point that is excluded from the game.

5.8. The boundary of an encirclement region that coincides with the encirclement chain that formed the area can be used as part of the chain for subsequent encirclements.

5.9. Encirclement regions created by a move that simultaneously closes more than one encirclement chain are adjacent to each other, but do not merge into a single encirclement region.

5.10. If at the moment of closing the encirclement chain of one color on the field there are alternative trajectories for its implementation that equally satisfy the continuity rule and allow increasing the area of ​​the formed encirclement region due to adjacent areas of the playing field that do not contain points of another color, then preference is given to the trajectory that leads to the creation of an encirclement region of the smallest possible area.

5.11. The region of the encirclement around which the chain of encirclement closes is surrounded in exactly the same way as individual dots.

5.12. If a continuous closed broken line of one color is formed around an area of ​​the playing field that contains empty points or dots of the same color but no dots of another color, such an area is not an encirclement region and is called a “house”. The newly created house is not painted over, and the encirclement chain is not drawn on the field.

5.13. Dots of the same color located inside the house, as well as empty points, are not excluded from the game.

5.14. A dot of a different color can be placed in a house only once. In this case, at the moment of passing the move to the opponent, this dot is considered surrounded, the house is painted over with its color and becomes a region of ​​encirclement (this rule has an exception described in Art. 5.16 of these Rules).

5.15. When surrounding dots of one color placed in a house of another color, the principle of surrounding the minimum area described in Article 5.10 of these Rules is applied.

5.16. If a dot of one color, placed in a house of another color, simultaneously closes the chain of the encirclement of its color, it is not surrounded, but itself becomes part of a newly created region of ​​the encirclement of its color, including part of the former house of the other color.

6.1. The opponent's dots that fall into the encirclement region, both individual and those that were part of previously created encirclement regions of any color, are counted towards the player who encircled them at a ratio of one point per dot. The points thus obtained determine the score of the game.

6.2. The game score may be starting, current and final.

6.2.1. Starting Score - the number of points each player has before the game begins. This number is always zero.

6.2.2. Current score is the number of points each player has at the time of the last move made in an ongoing game.

6.2.3. Final score – the number of points for each player after the completion of the game.

6.3. After each move by one of the players creating the encirclement region, the current score changes by the number of points awarded to that player in the manner prescribed by Article 6.1 of these Rules.

6.4. If the encirclement region created by the first player is subsequently surrounded by the second player, it is considered lost, the dots that made it up and were in it of the first player are counted towards the second player, and the points for the dots in it of the second player are excluded from the current score of the first player.

6.5. The current score recorded at the moment of completion of the game becomes its final score, according to which the result of the game is determined in the manner prescribed by Article 8.1 of these Rules.

7.1. Playing time is a pre-determined and equal amount of time for both sides, upon the expiration of which one of the sides stops the game in the manner prescribed by paragraph “b” of Article 8.1 of these Rules.

7.2. Specific systems for counting game time are established by the competition organizers.

8.1. The game is considered completed when the following conditions are met:

a) one of the players has given up. He is considered a loser, and his opponent is considered a winner, the final score is recorded, but does not affect the outcome;

b) one of the players has run out of playing time. He is considered a loser, and his opponent is considered a winner, the final score is recorded, but does not affect the outcome;

c) there are no empty points left on the playing field. The final score is recorded, determining the result;

d) one of the players has declared landing. The game is stopped, if necessary, the actions provided for in Article 8.4 of these Rules are taken, after which the final score is recorded, determining the result;

d) one of the players offered a draw, and the other agreed. The final score is recorded, but does not affect the outcome.

8.2. Landing is a situation in which a player creates on the playing field such a configuration of groups of dots and regions of the encirclement of his color that it is impossible to surround (close a chain of the encirclement of another color around it) due to the finiteness of the playing field, the principle of the continuity of the chain of the encirclement and the rules for placing dots of one color in a house of another color.

8.3 Landing can be declared once and cannot be revoked.

8.4. If a player, having declared landing, leaves on the playing field dots, groups of dots and/or encircling regions of his own color that can be surrounded (close a chain of encirclement of another color around them), then such dots, groups of dots and/or encircling regions are considered surrounded by the opponent and are added to his current score at the time of declaring landing.

8.5. An offer of a draw accepted by an opponent cannot be revoked, nor can one's own consent to such an offer.

8.6. In cases where the outcome of the game is determined by the final score, the winner is the player who has received at least one point more than the opponent. In case of equality of points, a draw is declared.

1. Playing field:

2. Dots:

3. Coordinates:

4. Initial cross:

5. Encirclement chain, encirclement region:

6. Surrounding by minimum area:

7. House:

8. Landing: