Overview

Kensington is a two-player abstract strategy game named after London’s Kensington Gardens, whose mosaic pattern inspired the board design. The board features a geometric pattern of hexagons, squares, and triangles (rhombitrihexagonal tiling). Players first place pieces on intersections, then move them to capture hexagons. Controlling geometric shapes (triangles, squares) lets you reposition opponent pieces. The first player to occupy all six vertices of a hexagon wins.

Components

• 1 Kensington game board (rhombitrihexagonal tiling pattern with colored hexagons)
• 15 red pieces
• 15 blue pieces

Setup

The board starts empty. Players choose colors (red or blue). One player goes first.

Turn Structure

The game has two phases:

Phase 1: Placement

Players alternate placing one piece at a time on any empty intersection of the board until all 30 pieces (15 per player) are placed.

Phase 2: Movement

After all pieces are placed, players alternate turns moving one piece along a line to an adjacent empty intersection.

Actions

Placing a Piece (Phase 1)

• On your turn, place one of your pieces on any unoccupied intersection on the board.

Moving a Piece (Phase 2)

• Slide one of your pieces along a connecting line to an adjacent empty intersection.

Forming Shapes – Repositioning

When you form a geometric shape with your pieces (all vertices occupied by your color):

• Triangle (3 vertices): You may reposition 1 of your opponent’s pieces to any empty intersection.
• Square (4 vertices): You may reposition 2 of your opponent’s pieces to any empty intersections.
• Both simultaneously: You may still only reposition 2 opponent pieces total (not 3).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The objective is to place your pieces on all six vertices of a hexagon. The hexagon can be:

• A white hexagon, OR
• A hexagon matching your own color.

The first player to fully occupy all six vertices of an eligible hexagon wins the game.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Repositioning is a powerful advantage – forming triangles and squares early gives significant control.
• Defense is notably difficult in Kensington. Much of the strategy revolves around being the first to secure a “mill” (triangle or square) and using the repositioning power to set up a hexagon.
• Pieces can only be repositioned to empty intersections.
• The board’s geometry means some intersections are shared between multiple hexagons, squares, and triangles, creating complex interactions.

Player Reference

Shape Formed	Vertices	Repositioning Power
Triangle	3 of your pieces	Move 1 opponent piece
Square	4 of your pieces	Move 2 opponent pieces
Both at once	3 + 4	Move 2 opponent pieces (max)
Hexagon	6 of your pieces	WIN the game

Key Numbers	Value
Pieces per player	15
Board pattern	Rhombitrihexagonal tiling
Phases	2 (placement, then movement)