San Ta Si

About this board game

San Ta Si is a two-player spatial hide-and-seek board game that plays in about 15 minutes. Players build across three spaces using metal tubes and thin wooden columns, with victory going to the player whose building materials are most visible at the end.

The metal tubes come in varying sizes and are played onto the building spaces. Six thin wooden columns are also added to the construction. A column remains visible only when its tip can still be seen over the topmost edge of the metal tubes around it.

Each player has components in a single color, but the building materials are not restricted to one player. Both players can use the tubes and columns belonging to their opponent, making the developing structures a shared space for concealment and exposure.

• Players: 2
• Playing time: about 15 minutes
• Core challenge: build while keeping your materials visible
• Key components: metal tubes of varying sizes and six thin wooden columns

At the end of the game, visibility is all that counts. Examine the three building spaces and determine whose colored building materials can be seen the most. The player with the greatest visible presence wins.

Released in 2005, San Ta Si is designed for thinkers who enjoy building and spatial puzzles. Its central idea is simple to state but invites careful attention: see and be seen. Every tube and column contributes to a changing arrangement where what remains visible determines the result.