Oddalonego

Oddalonego is a two-player abstract strategy game in the Go family that introduces a parity-based constraint to traditional Go play. The game is typically played on a standard Go board (usually 19x19, with 9x9 and 13x13 common for learning). The objective mirrors Go: to secure territory while capturing opposing stones. The defining feature is a move- legality rule tied to the board’s coordinates rather than free placement at any empty point.

Move rule: Black moves first on move 1. On move m, the player must place a stone on a point (x,y) whose sum x+y has the same parity as m. In practical terms, on odd moves stones must go to odd-sum coordinates, and on even moves to even-sum coordinates. The game uses the same liberties, captures, and ko rules as standard Go. The usual rule that stones with no liberties are captured remains, and the game typically ends after two consecutive passes or when both players agree to stop.

Scoring and variations: Scoring follows standard Go conventions, counting controlled territory and captured stones, with optional komi. Both Japanese and Chinese scoring are commonly used in oddalonego communities. Because of the parity constraint, endgame life-and-death problems, ko threats, and sente/ gote considerations tend to unfold differently than in traditional Go.

Gameplay and community: Oddalonego tends to attract players seeking a fresh strategic challenge that preserves Go’s goals while shifting move availability. It has a modest, internet-based community with rule clarifications, example games, and occasional informal tournaments. A dedicated wiki and several hobby software ports document rules, common patterns, and beginner-friendly strategies.

See also Go, board games, abstract strategy games.