Overview

LYNGK is an abstract strategy game for 2 players and the seventh game in the GIPF project. It is played with pieces in 6 different colors, each representing a game of the GIPF project. Five colors are active; the sixth (white mottled) serves as a joker. All active-color pieces begin as neutral (belonging to neither player). During the game, each player must claim 2 colors. The goal is to build stacks of 5 pieces containing all 5 different colors. The player with the most completed 5-piece stacks wins.

Components

• 1 game board (intersecting lines forming the playing field)
• 3 white mottled pieces (jokers, ref. GIPF)
• 9 ivory pieces (ref. TZAAR)
• 9 blue pieces (ref. ZERTZ)
• 9 red pieces (ref. DVONN)
• 9 green pieces (ref. PUNCT)
• 9 black pieces (ref. YINSH)
• 1 bag
• 1 rulebook

Total: 48 pieces on the board + 5 pieces set aside for claiming colors.

Setup

1. Place 8 pieces of each of the 5 active colors plus the 3 white joker pieces randomly on the board so that every intersection is occupied (43 pieces total on the board).
2. Line up the remaining 5 pieces (1 ivory, 1 blue, 1 red, 1 black, 1 green) next to the board to represent the 5 neutral colors available for claiming.
3. Draw lots to determine the starting player.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On each turn, a player must:

1. Optionally claim a color (before making a move): Take one piece from beside the board and place it on your side. Only one color may be claimed per turn. Each player may claim at most 2 colors total during the game.
2. Make exactly one move: Move a piece or stack according to the movement rules.

Passing is not allowed unless no legal move exists. If one player has no moves, the other continues until they also have no moves.

Actions

Movement Rules

• A move must always end on an occupied space (on top of another piece or stack).
• A piece may move to an adjacent occupied intersection, or along a straight line across empty intersections to reach an occupied space.
• Jumping over other pieces or stacks is not allowed.
• When moving a stack, it moves as a whole unit. The top piece determines the stack’s color affiliation.

Neutral vs. Claimed Pieces

• Single neutral piece: May only move onto another single piece of a different color. Cannot jump onto a stack.
• Stack with neutral top piece: May jump onto a single piece or onto a stack of equal or lesser height. Cannot jump onto a taller stack.
• Claimed piece/stack (top is a claimed color): May move onto any piece or stack regardless of height (subject to the 5-piece limit and color uniqueness rule).

Stack Rules

• A stack may contain at most 5 pieces.
• All pieces in a stack must be of different colors. Two pieces of the same active color may never be in the same stack.
• White joker pieces count as any color not already in the stack. Multiple jokers may be in the same stack.

Completing Stacks

• When a 5-piece stack is completed with a claimed color on top, the owning player removes it and places it on their side. It scores 1 point.
• When a 5-piece stack is completed with a neutral color on top, it remains on the board as an obstacle and scores for neither player.

The LYNGK-Rule (Multi-Move)

• Applies only when playing with a claimed color.
• Pieces of the same claimed color are “connected” if they can reach each other via regular moves.
• A player may use a claimed-color piece as a LYNGK-point (waypoint) during a move: move toward it but do not land on it; instead, continue from that point to another piece.
• Multiple LYNGK-points may be used in a single turn (double, triple, or quadruple moves), but each LYNGK-point may only be used once per turn.
• Joker pieces may not serve as LYNGK-points.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• The game ends when no more moves are possible for either player.
• The player with the most completed 5-piece stacks wins.
• In case of a tie, count 4-piece stacks on the board, then 3-piece stacks, and so on.
• If all counts are equal, the game is a tie.

Variant: Stack of 6 (for experienced players)

• 5-piece stacks remain on the board instead of being removed.
• Joker pieces gain a dual function: they may represent “white” as its own color.
• A 6-piece stack requires all 5 active colors plus a joker as “white.”
• Completing a 6-piece stack with your claimed color on top wins the game immediately (sudden death).
• If no 6-piece stack is completed, the player with the most 5-piece stacks on the board wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• The 5th unclaimed color remains neutral for the entire game; both players may use it.
• A player who cannot move must wait; if a move becomes available later, the player must take it.
• Only the top piece of a stack determines who may move it and how.
• When using the LYNGK-rule, the color of a LYNGK-point is determined solely by its top piece.

Player Reference

Color	Quantity	Reference
White mottled	3	Joker (passive, cannot move alone)
Ivory	9	ref. TZAAR
Blue	9	ref. ZERTZ
Red	9	ref. DVONN
Green	9	ref. PUNCT
Black	9	ref. YINSH

Key movement summary:

• Neutral single piece: onto single piece only, different color
• Neutral stack: onto piece/stack of equal or lesser height
• Claimed piece/stack: onto any piece/stack (within 5-piece/color-uniqueness limits)
• LYNGK-rule: multi-move using same claimed color as waypoints