Sz'Kwa: a little unknown gem
Backup page for:Sz’Kwa is often called a variant of Go or Xi Gua Qi. Although it shares some similarities with these games, Sz’Kwa is neither one of them and is actually quite different. It’s probably so unpopular because people often compare it to the other two games. Go players might dismiss it as a childish game, and since Xi Gua Qi itself isn’t widely played seriously, few pay attention to this obscure variation.
But Sz’Kwa is not just a variant - it’s an interesting game in its own right. Its rules are similar to Go in some ways: players take turns placing stones on the board, surround opponent stones, and capture them. However, there are important differences beyond the “watermelon” shaped board. Unlike Go, there is no ko rule, suicide moves are allowed without penalty, passing is not allowed, and most notably, there are many more stones than points on the board. That last point makes a big difference.
The board has 21 points, but there are 40 stones total. And this is rather unusual. It means a player could lose almost all their stones and still win with just one. Controlling territory early in the game is not very important - this is somewhat like Othello. Players carefully place their stones and often sacrifice some to gain better positions.
When stones are surrounded, they are captured. But if a player allows themselves to be surrounded - for example, by placing a single stone in the middle of opponent stones - nothing happens. In Go, when a group has only two “liberties” left, it’s doomed and can be captured in the next two moves. In Sz’Kwa, if the opponent closes all but one liberty, the player can place their own stone in the last liberty to protect the group.
Passing is not allowed. This means players may have to play even when it’s not in their favor. The game can become Nim-like - players carefully count how many free spaces remain to avoid giving the opponent the last open spot and play there themselves. This often leads to capturing opponent stones, sometimes even all of them.
It’s hard to find places to play Sz’Kwa online. The Android app “Sz’Kwa free” is no longer in the Play Store, though it can still be found as an APK elsewhere. When I played against the strongest computer opponent, I always won once I understood the tactics I’ve hinted on above. Sz’Kwa hasn’t been seriously studied yet, so maybe there’s a flaw, or a winning strategy, or a way to force a draw. This has not been discovered yet.
Sz’Kwa feels as complex as Nine Men’s Morris. Xi Gua Qi, which uses the same board and is more popular, is not nearly as complex as Sz’Kwa. All in all - this game definitely deserves more attention.
The rules are explained elsewhere, and those who know Go should have already understood those, but here’s a brief outline: The board is the “watermelon” board with 21 points. Each player has 20 stones. Black moves first, then players alternate turns. The board starts empty. Each move, a player places a stone on a vacant point. If this surrounds one or more opponent stones or connected groups, those stones are captured and removed. The game ends when all stones are placed or when no moves are possible. The player who captures more stones wins.
https://apkpure.com/sz-kwa-free/com.ffreedom.szkwafree