Overview

Avalam (also known as Avalam Bitaka) is a two-player abstract strategy game invented by Philippe Deweys in 1995. Players compete on a board filled with single stones, building towers by stacking pieces on top of each other. The key twist is that either player can move any stack, regardless of colour. When no more moves can be made, the player who controls more stacks (by having their colour on top) wins.

Components

• 1 game board with interconnected spaces in an irregular pattern
• 48 stones: 24 white and 24 black (or two other contrasting colours)

Setup

1. Each player chooses a colour.
2. Place one stone on every space on the board (alternating colours in the standard setup), creating 48 individual stacks of height 1.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On each turn:

1. Choose any stack on the board (of either colour — you may move your own or your opponent’s pieces).
2. Move the entire chosen stack onto an adjacent stack (orthogonal or diagonal).
3. The resulting combined stack must not exceed 5 stones in height.

That is the entire turn — one move per turn.

Actions

Movement Rules

• A stack may be moved to any adjacent occupied space (orthogonal or diagonal adjacency).
• The moved stack is placed on top of the destination stack.
• The combined stack must have a maximum height of 5 stones.
• A stack cannot be moved to an empty space.
• A stack cannot jump over other stacks.
• A player may move any stack, including stacks currently controlled by the opponent.

Stack Ownership

• A stack belongs to the player whose colour is on top of the stack.
• Moving a stack of your colour onto an opponent’s stack gives you control (your colour is now on top).
• Moving an opponent’s stack onto your stack gives them control.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• The game ends when no more legal moves can be made (all remaining stacks are isolated with no adjacent stacks, or all possible moves would create a stack exceeding 5).
• Count the number of stacks each player controls (stacks with their colour on top).
• The player controlling more stacks wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Moving opponent’s pieces: A critical strategic element. Often it is better to stack your opponent’s pieces together (reducing their stack count) rather than building your own towers.
• Maximum stack height: Exactly 5. A stack of 4 cannot be moved onto another stack of 2 or more.
• Isolated stacks: A single stone or stack with no adjacent occupied spaces cannot be moved and will count as one stack at game end.
• Corners and edges: These are strategically valuable as stacks there are harder to reach and can become permanently safe.
• Deadlocks: Situations where multiple stacks of size 2 are adjacent to each other create tension — moving any of them often allows the opponent to create a safe stack of 5.
• No passing: A player must make a move if one is available. If no legal move exists, the game ends.

Player Reference

Turn: Move any 1 stack onto any adjacent stack (max combined height: 5)

Stack control: Colour on top owns the stack

Game end: No legal moves remaining

Winner: Most stacks controlled

Key strategy: Moving opponent’s pieces together to reduce their total stacks is often more effective than building your own towers.