Amazons
Introduction
Amazons is a fairly new game, invented in 1988 by Walter Zamkauskas of Argentina and is a trademark of Ediciones de Mente. In the early stages of a game there are hundreds of legal moves from which to choose. Also, since the game is quite new, there is no collection of literature and experience to help guide the player (and the programmer) in choosing good moves. There are no opening books. There are no well-understood middle game strategies. Even the endgame, though seemingly simpler than the other phases of the game, still poses its share of difficulties. These are some of the reasons Amazons is an exciting game to play and a difficult game to program.
Rules of the Game
Amazons can be played on boards of arbitrary size, however, it is usually played on a 10 x 10 board. The two players, white and black are each given four amazons in predefined locations.
On a 10 x 10 board, the white player starts with amazons on locations a4, d1, g1, and j4, while the black player begins with amazons on a7, d10, g10, and j7. The white player makes the first move. Each move contains two mandatory parts: The player's amazon moves like a chess queen - any number of squares in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line. Once it gets to its final position, the amazon throws an arrow that also moves like a chess queen. The arrow permanently blocks the board square it lands in. Both the amazon and the arrow it throws must move along a line that is not obstructed by another amazon or an arrow. The last player able to complete a move wins the game
