Overview

Black Hole is an abstract strategy game for two players. Players alternate turns placing numbered tiles on a triangular board with 21 cells. Tiles must be played in ascending order (1 through 10). After all 20 tiles have been placed, one space remains – the Black Hole. Each player adds up the values of their own tiles adjacent to the hole. The player with the lowest total wins.

Components

• 1 triangular board (21 cells)
• 10 red tiles (numbered 1-10)
• 10 blue tiles (numbered 1-10)

Note: 6s and 9s are underlined to be distinguishable.

Setup

1. Place the board in the middle of the playing surface.
2. Each player takes the 10 tiles of their assigned color (red or blue).
3. Red plays first.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On your turn, place one tile of your color face-up on any empty space on the board. Tiles must be played in ascending order: tile 1 first, then 2, then 3, and so on.

Actions

• Place a tile: Put your next numbered tile (in order) on any unoccupied cell on the board.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

1. When all 20 tiles have been placed, exactly 1 cell remains empty – this is the Black Hole.
2. Each player sums the values of their own tiles that are adjacent to the Black Hole (sharing an edge).
3. The player with the lowest total wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Since tiles are placed in ascending order, low-value tiles (1, 2, 3) are placed early when there are many open spaces, while high-value tiles (8, 9, 10) are placed when few spaces remain.
• Strategic play involves placing high-value tiles away from likely Black Hole locations and low-value tiles near them.
• Corner cells have fewer adjacent cells (2) compared to edge cells (3-4) or interior cells (up to 6), affecting their risk.

Variants

Variant	Rule Change
Variant 1	Tiles do not have to be placed in ascending order – free placement
Variant 2	Before the game, players place tiles face-down, shuffle them, and draw randomly during play

Player Reference

Item	Detail
Board	Triangular, 21 cells
Tiles per player	10 (numbered 1-10)
Placement order	Ascending (1, 2, 3, …, 10)
Black Hole	The 1 remaining empty cell after all tiles placed
Win condition	Lowest total value of own tiles adjacent to the Black Hole
First player	Red