Overview

Brax is a two-player abstract strategy board game invented in 1889 in America by Frederic B. Denham of New York City. Also known as Jinx, it is played on an 8x8 board with colored-path borders between cells. Players move pieces along these colored paths, attempting to capture all of the opponent’s pieces. A unique mechanic allows a player to call “Brax” to force the opponent’s threatened piece to move on their next turn.

Components

• 1 game board (8x8 grid with colored lines along cell borders in two colors, e.g. blue and red)
• 7 pieces per player in two distinct colors (e.g., red and white)

Setup

1. Place the board between players.
2. Each player takes 7 pieces of their color.
3. Place all pieces in the starting diamonds on either side of the board as indicated.
4. Each cell has 3 sides in one color and 1 side in the second color.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On each turn, a player moves one piece according to the movement rules and may optionally call “Brax.”

Actions

Move a Piece:

• A piece moves along the colored path lines on the board.
• Movement distance depends on whether the piece’s color matches the path color:
  • If the piece color matches the path color, the piece can move 2 spaces.
  • If the piece color does not match the path color, the piece can move 1 space.
• Pieces move from cell to cell along the connecting path lines.

Capture:

• A piece captures an opposing piece by landing on its space.
• The captured piece is removed from the board.

Call “Brax”:

• After moving, if the piece just moved threatens at least one of the opponent’s pieces, the moving player may call “Brax.”
• When “Brax” is called, the opponent is forced to move the threatened piece on their next turn — no other piece may be moved.
• This mechanic can be used to force the opponent into unfavorable positions.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

A player wins by capturing all of their opponent’s pieces.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Brax Mechanic: The “Brax” call is optional. A player is never obligated to call it, but doing so forces the opponent’s hand, limiting their choices on the next turn.
• Multiple Threats: If multiple enemy pieces are threatened when “Brax” is called, the opponent must move one of the threatened pieces but may choose which one.
• Path Colors: The two-color path system creates asymmetric movement — one player naturally has more mobility on certain parts of the board, adding strategic depth to positioning.
• Historical Note: Brax was patented in 1889, making it one of the earliest American board games with a named inventor still played today.

Player Reference

Condition	Movement
Piece color matches path color	Move up to 2 spaces
Piece color does not match	Move 1 space

Capture: Land on opponent’s piece Brax call: After moving, if threatening an opponent’s piece — forces opponent to move that piece next turn Win condition: Capture all opponent’s pieces