Cation 2016

Cation 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.

A crosscut is a 2×2 area with two diagonally adjacent black stones and two diagonally adjacent white stones.

Black plays first, then turns alternate. On your turn, place a stone of your color on an empty point. If this completes one or more crosscuts, remove exactly one enemy stone from each crosscut. You cannot complete a crosscut if your opponent just placed a stone in it or completed a crosscut anywhere on the board.

Passing is not allowed, but, if you have no legal moves available, your turn is skipped.

You win if there is a chain of orthogonally connected 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.