A piece may only step into the centre from a point touching an enemy piece.
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About Mu Torere
Free online Mu Torere, the Maori star game from Aotearoa. Four pieces each on an eight-pointed star, no captures at all, and you win by leaving your opponent stuck.
Mu torere comes from Aotearoa New Zealand and is traditionally associated with the Ngati Porou of the east coast. It is one of the very few traditional board games with no capture of any kind, which makes it look gentle and turns out to be anything but: with only nine points and eight pieces, a careless second move can lose outright. The single restriction on entering the putahi is what gives the game its bite, because without it either player could simply park in the centre and stall. It is small enough to teach a child in a minute, and deep enough that our Hard setting, which searches the whole game rather than guessing, is very hard to beat.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't my piece move into the centre?๏ผ
Entering the putahi is only allowed from an outer point that touches at least one enemy piece. From a point surrounded by your own pieces and empty points, that move is illegal.
How do I win if nothing gets captured?๏ผ
By running your opponent out of moves. When it is their turn and not one of their four pieces has anywhere legal to go, the game ends and you win.
Can the game end in a draw?๏ผ
In practice no. Play tends to force one side into a position with no legal move, and skilled players can steer towards it deliberately.
Does the first player have an advantage?๏ผ
The opposite, if anything. With accurate play the opening moves matter enormously, and a careless start by the player moving first can be punished very quickly.
How long does a game take?๏ผ
A minute or two. It is a natural filler game for a car ride or a queue, which is part of why it travelled so well.
How strong is the Hard AI?๏ผ
The whole game is only a few thousand positions, so Hard searches it with memoisation rather than using rules of thumb. Expect to lose until you learn the key blocking patterns.
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