With renju on the website now, any chance of adding ninuki-renju? I think it would be a fun addition.
I would suggest minimal changes from normal pente. Keep the pro rule and change to white (p1) needing a perfect 5 (boat capture and no overlines) and turn double 3s to a foul. Leave black as is.
If I were to implement it (pending agreement from owen_, zemlyak, and Japanese and renju experts), then I'd make the following design choices for it here:
1. Either a 15x15 or 19x19 board - personally, I think that's a distinction without a difference for this game. Originally, it would have been played on a 19x19 board, but as renju shifted to 15x15, no doubt ninuki would have as well 2. Pro pente opening rules - already, before the end of the 1920s, Go and renju players realized that it wasn't balanced by captures and 3x3 fouls 3. Only 3x3 fouls, and probably for both players - the pro rule likely doesn't make it a balanced game, but only fouls for the first player might imbalance it the other way. 4. Overlines are allowed, but don't win (standard) 5. A fifth capture which creates a five for the opponent (off the end of an overline) is a draw (standard) regardless of whether it also creates a perfect five for the player playing it or not (my interpretation) 6. Black plays first (standard) 7. Played in sets
Retired from rated TB Pente, but still playing live and TB variants
http://www.gamerz.net/pbmserv/ninuki.html has more detailed rules for a decades old online implementation i.e. 3x3 isn't always a foul. I would defer to those, if in doubt.
Retired from rated TB Pente, but still playing live and TB variants
I like the asymmetry of the rules in renju, and would prefer that for ninuki too. But it wouldn’t be terrible if p2 also has the fouls, as it would be played in a set. It does seem a bit nonsensical to me though
The game will just follow the Pente way: it will be solved quickly, no serious tournaments, no dedicated players.
If there is no way to balance this game, it is doomed to be solvable for either colour, well, then we have to widen the opening theory as much as possible. Swap2, 5 swaps (lighter version of T10 without "10" part), anything of this kind.
Or the whole idea is just for fun, well, then I see no difference in set of rules to be implemented.
Hmm, no I've never seen or heard of a variant winning proposal like that before. I think it would possibly be interesting and potentially prolong games. But, certainly it would change outcomes on some games in the database, I'm certain of that.
Retired from rated TB Pente, but still playing live and TB variants
One thought I had on the win by three captures variant - I would let player 2 win by five total captures as well, but not player one, if we try it out.
Retired from rated TB Pente, but still playing live and TB variants
The bad thing is, it doesn't change the estimation of current opening rule, P1 win is still quite simple. But in Swap2 Pente, who knows, drawish tendencies might even occur somewhere. Low probability, but...
