THE GAME OF Y (1 or 2 players)
This legendary game, an early version of which was invented more than 40 years ago, has the simplest of rules:  Just connect all three board edges with stones of your color. It's a game of pure skill, and always ends in a win. The wooden board and other components are of demonstration quality. —6/94 [Date refers to first review, shown below.]

The Game of Y (1 or 2 players)
This legendary game, an early version of which was invented more than 40 years ago, has the simplest of rules:  Just connect all three board edges with stones of your color. It's a game of pure skill, and — a rarity for an open strategy game — always ends in a win for one side or the other. The wooden board and other components are of the highest quality, as we've come to expect from Kadon. —6/94 [Date refers to first review, shown below.]

THE GAME OF Y (1 or 2 players)
Could there be simpler rules? Players take turns placing one stone of their color on any intersection. Stones are never moved or captured. The player who links all three board edges (corner points belong to two edges) with an unbroken chain of stones of his color — forming a "Y" — is the winner. Draws are impossible, since blocking all ways for your opponent to form a Y means that you will form one yourself. Although the game takes only 20 minutes to play, it's deep and subtle and you will never tire of it. —6/94 [Date refers to first review, shown below.]

THE GAME OF Y (1 or 2 players)
Simpler rules are hard to imagine:  Players take turns placing one stone of their color on any of the board's 93 intersections. Stones are never moved or captured. The player who links all three of the board's edges with an unbroken chain of stones of his color — a "Y" — is the winner. Corner points belong to both of the edges that meet there. Draws are impossible, since blocking all ways for your opponent to form a Y necessarily means that you will form one yourself. Although the rules are simple and the game can be played in less than 20 minutes, it's deep and subtle and you will never tire of playing it. For a really tough challenge, try giving each player two moves per turn.

THE GAME OF Y (1 or 2 players)
Simpler rules are hard to imagine:  Players take turns placing one stone of their color on any of the board's 93 intersections. Stones are never moved or captured. The player who links all three of the board's edges with an unbroken chain of stones of his color — a "Y" — wins. Draws are impossible, since blocking all ways for your opponent to form a Y necessarily means that you will form one yourself.

Although it can be played in less than 20 minutes, Y is a deep and subtle game that you will never tire of. You can increase the challenge by playing two stones per turn, or balance the chances between unequal players by spotting the weaker player one or more moves.

Kadon's production is superb. The hardwood board, glass stones, and fabric pouches make this a handsome addition to any collection.

THE GAME OF Y
Players:  2     Playing time:  20 minutes

Some two decades after its current rules were perfected, this intriguing game of skill has finally become available commercially. Its hardwood board, glass go stones, and fabric carrying pouches make it a handsome addition to any collection. Best of all, it's a game you will never tire of playing.

Though Y has great depth, it's hard to imagine simpler rules. Players take turns placing one stone of their color on any of the board's 93 intersections. Stones are never moved or captured. The player who links all three of the board's edges with an unbroken chain of stones of his color — a "Y" — is the winner. Corner points belong to both edges that meet there. Draws are impossible; blocking all ways for your opponent to form a Y necessarily means that you will form one yourself.

To balance the chances between players of greatly different strengths, or between adults and children, one player may start with two or more consecutive moves. Between equal, experienced players, using the "pie rule" — one player places the first stone, and the opponent either accepts it as his own or takes the other color — forces the first stone to be placed less than optimally and equalizes the chances very nicely.

An early version of the game, played on a triangular array of regular hexagons, was invented about 40 years ago by Charles Titus and Craige Schensted. But both it and the game of Hex, on which it was based, had a problem:   Plays near the center were so powerful that the edge areas were largely irrelevant. Around 1970, the inventors added three interior points that border only five other points each instead of six. This subtle change not only caused the edges of the board to curve but also made the entire board important, greatly enriching the game's strategy and tactics.

The principles of the game, along with rules for several variations and the related game of Poly Y, were explored in the outstanding book Mudcrack Y and Poly Y (Neo Press, 1975), which is out of print. The section of it devoted to the Game of Y is being revised by Schensted and will be mailed to purchasers of the game when it is available. —R. Wayne Schmittberger