Bendit 2026

Bendit is a drawless connection game for two players: Black and White. It is played on the intersections (points) of an initially empty square grid (board). The top and bottom edges of the board are colored black; the left and right edges are colored white.

Black plays first, then turns alternate. On your turn, place a stone; then, if possible, place another on an orthogonally adjacent point. Place only your color, and always on empty points. You cannot pass your turn unless you have no legal moves.

At the end of your turn, there must be no bends on the board. A bend is a 2×n area with two like-colored stones in opposite corners, one stone of the other color in another corner and no other stones.

You win if there is a chain of orthogonally interconnected stones of your color touching the two opposite board edges of your color.

To make the game fair, White will have the option, on their first turn only, to swap sides with Black instead of making a regular move, and Black is allowed to start the game with a single placement.

NotesBendit seems to be the first drawless, pure-placement, orthogonal connection game with a single, unconditionally forbidden glyph, assuming all bends count as variations of one. Okimba (a simpler game) comes close, but its single glyph is conditionally forbidden.

—description from the designer