Bizingo is a two-player abstract strategy board game originating in the 1850s in the United States. Two armies face each other on a large triangular grid composed of alternating colored triangular cells. Each player controls 18 pieces (16 regular soldiers and 2 captains). Pieces move to adjacent cells of their designated color, and captures are made by surrounding an opponent’s piece. The objective is to reduce your opponent’s forces to just 2 pieces.
Components
1 triangular game board with 157 triangular cells (75 light, 82 dark) and truncated corners
18 pieces per player in two different colors: 16 regular pieces and 2 captains (larger or distinctly marked)
Setup
Place the board between the two players with a base edge facing each player.
Each player places their 18 pieces on their designated color cells near their base edge, arranged in three rows:
Front row: 7 pieces
Middle row: 6 pieces
Back row: 5 pieces
One player’s pieces occupy light-colored cells; the other player’s pieces occupy dark-colored cells. Pieces never move to the other color.
Captains are placed among the pieces (typically in the back rows).
Turn Structure
Players alternate turns. On each turn:
Move: Move one of your pieces to an adjacent empty triangular cell that shares a corner with the piece’s current cell. The destination must be the same color as the piece’s designated color.
Capture Check: After moving, check if any opponent’s pieces are now surrounded and captured.
Actions
Movement
Move one piece per turn to an adjacent empty cell of the same color.
Pieces move along corner-connected paths, staying strictly on their color of cells throughout the game.
Captains move the same way as regular pieces.
Capturing
A regular piece (soldier) is captured when it is hemmed in on three sides by enemy pieces. In other words, three of its adjacent same-color cells are occupied by opponent pieces.
Near the edges of the board, the reduced number of adjacent cells means only two enemy pieces are needed to capture.
Captain capture rule: A captain can only be captured if at least one of the surrounding enemy pieces is also a captain.
Captured pieces are removed from the board permanently.
Multiple captures can occur on a single turn if moving one piece creates multiple surrounding situations.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
The game is won when one player reduces the opponent to only 2 pieces remaining.
Alternatively, if a player cannot make a legal move, they lose.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
Pieces can never move to a differently colored cell. This creates distinct movement lanes for each player.
Captains are critical for capturing enemy captains — protect your own captains carefully.
Edge and corner cells have fewer adjacent cells, making pieces near the edges easier to trap with fewer surrounding pieces.
There is no jumping or stacking; only one piece may occupy a cell.
Draws are theoretically possible if neither player can force the opponent down to 2 pieces, though rare in practice.
Player Reference
Piece Type
Count
Special
Soldier
16 per player
Captured by 3 enemies (2 at edges)
Captain
2 per player
Can only be captured if at least 1 capturer is a captain
Action
Rule
Move
One piece to adjacent same-color empty cell
Capture
Surround on 3 sides (2 at edges)
Captain capture
Requires at least 1 enemy captain
| Victory | Reduce opponent to 2 pieces |
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