Definitions

A stack is a set of one or more pieces piled onto each other on the same point. The color of a stack is the color of its topmost piece, which denotes its owner. The height of a stack is the number of pieces in it.

A crosscut is a 2x2 area containing two diagonally adjacent black stacks and two diagonally adjacent white stacks.

Two like-colored stacks are considered connected in the following cases:

• They are orthogonally or diagonally adjacent to each other and not part of the same crosscut.

• They are both part of the same crosscut and higher than the lower enemy stack in that crosscut.

Play

Black plays first, then turns alternate. On your turn, perform exactly one of these actions:

• Place a piece of your color on an empty point.

• Move the topmost piece of a stack of your color onto an orthogonally adjacent enemy stack, provided that, before the move, the heights of both stacks are the same. Then, place a piece of your opponent's color onto the stack from which you just moved your piece.

You win if, at the start of your turn, there is a chain of connected stacks of your color touching the two opposite board edges of your color. You lose if, at the start of your turn, your opponent has such a chain and you have no moves available.

To make the game fair, White will have the option, on their first turn only, to swap sides with Black instead of making a regular move.

Notes

For a variant, allow piece movement only between stacks that belong to the same crosscut, or start the game with the board fully covered with black and white pieces in a checkered pattern. On odd-sized boards, the two possible checkered setups may be used.

Escabel was inspired by Matteo Perlini's Consta.