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Entropy (board game)

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Entropy is an abstract strategy board game for two players designed by Eric Solomon in 1977. The game is "based on the eternal conflict in the universe between order and chaos [...] One player is Order, the other Chaos. Order is trying to make patterns vertically and horizontally. Chaos is trying to prevent this."[1] The game originally employed a 5×5 gameboard, but in 2000 a 7x7 board was introduced to allow deeper strategies.[2]

Entropy was awarded a rare 6 out of 6 by Games & Puzzles Magazine in 1981.[3] David Pritchard called the game "a modern classic". It is sold commercially under the names Hyle (a 5×5 board) and Hyle7 (a 7×7 board).[4]

Rules

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The gameboard is a square grid of 7×7 cells. A game consists of two rounds. Each round starts with the board empty, and a bag containing 49 chips in seven colours.

The first player to move (Chaos) draws coloured chips at random from the bag and places each one on the board in an empty cell. For each chip that is placed, the second player (Order) may slide any chip horizontally or vertically any distance through empty cells, to rest in a currently empty cell. When the board becomes full, the round is finished. Order scores 1 point for each chip in any palindromic pattern of chip colours (e.g. red–green–blue–green–red scores 3 + 5 = 8 points; red–red–red scores 2 + 2 + 3 = 7 points) occurring either horizontally or vertically.[5] The players reverse roles and play a second round. The player with the higher score as Order wins the game.

Championships

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The game has been included as one of the events at the annual Mind Sports Olympiad since its inception.[4] Demis Hassabis had won this event a record five times until losing in 2007.[6] Demis' record was broken in 2021 by David Jameson (Wales) who won his sixth title, extending the record in 2023. The event has also been won by Hassabis's brother George and by other Pentamind champions, David M. Pearce, Alain Dekker, Paco Garcia de la Banda and Andres Kuusk.

  • 1997: England Murray Heasman
  • 1998: England Peter Horlock
  • 1999: England George Hassabis
  • 2000: England Demis Hassabis
  • 2001: England Demis Hassabis
  • 2002: England David M. Pearce
  • 2003: England Demis Hassabis
  • 2004: England Demis Hassabis
  • 2005: England Peter Horlock
  • 2006: England Demis Hassabis
  • 2007: England David M. Pearce
  • 2008: England Peter Horlock
  • 2009: South Africa Alain Dekker
  • 2010: Spain Paco Garcia de la Banda
  • 2011: England Peter Horlock
  • 2012: Estonia Andres Kuusk
  • 2013: Estonia Andres Kuusk
  • 2014: Wales David Jameson
  • 2015: Estonia Andres Kuusk
  • 2016: Wales David Jameson
  • 2017: Wales David Jameson
  • 2018: Wales David Jameson
  • 2019: Wales David Jameson
  • 2020: Wales David Jameson
  • 2021: Estonia Paul Kolk
  • 2022: South Africa Alain Dekker
  • 2023: Wales David Jameson
  • 2024: South Africa Alain Dekker

References

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  1. ^ www.mozai.com
  2. ^ Rodeffer (2002), p. 8.
  3. ^ Entropy, Mind Sports Olympiad supplement, p 8, The Times, 11 August 1997, online version available from studiogiochi MSO archives [1] Archived 2012-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b Hyle at BoardGameGeek
  5. ^ Article about Entropy, http://www.boardability.com/game.php?id=entropy, Retrieved on 6 September 2010.
  6. ^ Stephen Moss, This time it's personal, The Guardian, 27 August 2007, Retrieved on 13 June 2010.

Bibliography

  • Pritchard, David (Autumn 2002). Kerry Handscomb (ed.). "Entropy: The Eternal Struggle of Order and Chaos". Abstract Games (11). Carpe Diem Publishing: 5. ISSN 1492-0492.
  • Rodeffer, Clark (Autumn 2002). Kerry Handscomb (ed.). "Interview with Eric Solomon" (PDF). Abstract Games (11). Carpe Diem Publishing: 7–9. ISSN 1492-0492.

Further reading

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  • Solomon, Eric (Autumn 2002). Kerry Handscomb (ed.). "Entropy Tactics". Abstract Games (11). Carpe Diem Publishing: 6–7. ISSN 1492-0492.
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