DVONN

About this board game

DVONN is a two-player abstract strategy game played in about 30 minutes, first released in 2001. On an elongated hexagonal board, players compete to control stacks of pieces while keeping them connected to the vital DVONN pieces.

The game begins with an empty board. Players first place three red DVONN pieces, followed by 23 white and 23 black pieces, placing all pieces on empty spaces without restrictions. Once placement is complete, the stacking phase begins.

Movement is determined by the height of a stack. A single piece moves one space in any direction, a stack of two moves two spaces, and taller stacks move the same number of spaces as the number of pieces they contain. A stack must always move as one unit, and every move must finish on top of another piece or stack.

• Place pieces freely on an empty elongated hexagonal board.
• Move stacks according to their height.
• Build on opposing pieces and stacks.
• Remove pieces and stacks that lose contact with the DVONN pieces.

Connection is central to every position. If a piece or stack becomes separated from all three red DVONN pieces, it is removed from the board, making the relationship between movement, stacking, and survival essential throughout the game.

The game ends when no more moves can be made. Each player then places the stacks they control on top of one another, and the player with the highest resulting stack wins. With its simple placement rules and distinctive height-based movement, DVONN offers a focused contest of stacking and control.

DVONN is part of the GIPF project.