Blooms

About this board game

Blooms is a two-player abstract strategy game played in about 30 minutes, in which players surround and capture each other’s stones. Inspired by the classical game Go and a painting in an Oregon coffee shop, it won the 2018 Best Combinatorial Game award.

Each player controls two stone colors. A bloom is a connected group of stones of the same color, including a single unconnected stone. Empty spaces adjacent to a stone are its liberties; when a bloom has no liberties beside any of its stones, it is fenced.

Player 1 begins by placing one stone of either color on any empty space. Starting with Player 2, each turn has two phases: place one or two stones on empty spaces, then remove every fenced bloom belonging to the opponent. If two stones are placed, they must be different colors, and only the opponent’s fenced blooms are captured.

• 2 players
• Recommended capture targets: 20 on a 5-sided board, 25 on a 6-sided board, 40 on an 8-sided board, and 50 on a 10-sided board
• Average game lengths of about 15, 25, and 45 moves on 5-, 6-, and 8-sided boards

The first player to capture the required number of stones wins. Like Go or Chess, Blooms offers simple rules with considerable strategic depth: controlling territory, restricting the opponent’s options, and weakening enemy structures are all important.

Strong play often involves sacrificing your own stones to gain a positional advantage. Players must also learn how blooms survive; in most cases, living groups require three eyes—liberties completely surrounded by stones of the same group—rather than the two commonly associated with Go. Games can swing dramatically, making Blooms intriguing even after a player falls well behind.