Surakarta

How to play

The famous loop-capture game of Java. Pieces slide one step to any neighbour to develop — but to capture, a piece races along its line, curls around one of the eight corner loops, and strikes the first enemy it meets on the far side. No loop, no capture.

Rules

  • Tap one of your (red) pieces, then a highlighted point to move it there.
  • Green highlights are ordinary one-step slides to an empty neighbour, in any of the 8 directions.
  • Red highlights are captures: your piece travels in a straight line off the board edge, curls around at least one corner loop, and takes the first enemy piece it reaches — the path in between must be clear.
  • Capture all twelve of the AI’s pieces to win.

Tips

A capture must pass around at least one corner loop — you can never take an enemy sitting straight in front of you. Trace the loops with your eye: a piece on a long clear line-and-loop threatens far-away enemies. The four corner points sit on no loop, so pieces parked there are safe but also useless for attack.