Kamisado

Overview

Kamisado is a two-player abstract strategy game played on an 8x8 multicolored board. Each player controls 8 dragon towers, one matching each board color. The key twist: after the first move, the tower you MUST move is determined by the color of the square your opponent just moved to. The goal is to reach your opponent’s home row with one of your towers. Match play adds Sumo promotions for escalating stakes.

Components

1 game board (8x8, with 8 different colored squares)
16 dragon tower pieces (8 per player, each a different color)
Dragon’s Teeth (clear plastic caps for Sumo promotions in match play)

Setup

Each player places their 8 towers on their home row (nearest row), matching each tower’s color to the corresponding colored square.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns moving one dragon tower per turn.

First Move

The starting player may select ANY of their 8 towers to move.

Subsequent Moves

Each player MUST move the tower that matches the color of the square on which their opponent’s previous piece landed. Example: If Player 1 moves their yellow tower to a purple square, Player 2 must move their purple tower.

Actions

Valid Movement

Towers move in a straight line: vertically forward OR diagonally forward only.
Sideways or backward moves are NEVER allowed (except Sumo push results).
Towers can move any number of squares but may NOT pass through occupied squares.
A tower can only land on an empty square.
A tower may move diagonally between two towers touching corner-to-corner.
A tower must move at least one square (if possible).
If the required tower cannot move forward in any direction, that player loses their turn and the opponent moves again.
The round ends when a tower reaches any square in the opponent’s home row.

Deadlock

If both players have towers completely blocked or two towers repeat moves indefinitely, the player who made the final move creating the deadlock loses the round.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Single Round (Base Game)

First player to move a tower onto the opponent’s home row wins (scores 1 point and wins).

Match Play Options

Match Type	Points to Win
Single Round	1
Standard Match	3
Long Match	7
Marathon Match	15

Sumo Promotions (Match Play)

When a tower reaches the opponent’s home row, it receives a Dragon’s Tooth and becomes a Sumo:

Promotion Level	Dragon’s Teeth	Max Movement	Push Capacity	Points for Reaching Home Row
Regular	0	Unlimited	None	1
Sumo	1	5 spaces	1 regular tower	3
Double Sumo	2	3 spaces	2 towers (any combo)	7
Triple Sumo	3	1 space	3 towers (any combo)	15

Sumo Push Rules

The opponent’s tower must be immediately in front of the Sumo tower.
The opponent must have ended their previous move on a square matching the Sumo’s color.
Pushed pieces move backward one space vertically only (never diagonally).
Sumo push is optional if diagonal forward moves exist.
After a Sumo push, the opponent loses their turn; the pushing player moves again using the tower matching the color of the square the pushed piece landed on.
There must be an empty square behind the pushed piece.
Sumo cannot push a piece on the opponent’s home row (cannot push off the board).
Can only push opponent’s pieces, never your own.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Match Play Board Reset: After each round, towers are not randomly reset. The order is partially determined by the final positions from the previous round. The winner (Defender) chooses to fill from left or right. Towers are placed based on proximity to the home row and the chosen corner.
Filling direction: Left = brown to orange; Right = orange to brown.
Turn loss: If you cannot move the required tower, your opponent gets an extra turn.
Deadlock resolution: The player who created the deadlock loses.

Player Reference

Key Rule	Detail
Board size	8x8
Towers per player	8 (one per color)
Movement direction	Forward only (vertical or diagonal)
Tower selection	Determined by color of opponent’s last landing square
First move	Free choice of any tower
Win condition (single)	Reach opponent’s home row