Nohane 2026

Nohane 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. Some definitions:

A hard corner is a 2×2 area with two like-colored, diagonally adjacent stones, one stone of the other color and one empty point. The color of a hard corner is the color of the majority of stones in it. A crosscut is a 2×2 area with two diagonally adjacent black stones and two diagonally adjacent white stones. A switch is a 2×3 area with four stones alternating in color in the corners and two empty points in the middle. A pinwheel is a 2×2 empty area orthogonally adjacent to eight stones alternating in color.

Black plays first, then turns alternate. On your turn, place a stone of your color on an empty point without creating a switch, a pinwheel or a crosscut. Additionally, your placement must not create a hard corner of your color. You cannot pass your turn unless you have no legal moves.

You win if there is a chain of orthogonally or diagonally 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.

Nohane is the largest and slowest subset of Crossway. It was inspired by Mark Steere's Minefield.

—description from the designer