Zensū

About this board game

Zensū is a two-player abstract strategy game played in about 10 minutes, with the goal of reaching the opposite side of a 6×9 board—or taking all of your opponent’s pieces.

Each player controls 12 pieces. Every piece is divided into four quarters, and each quarter is numbered from 1 to 4. These numbers determine how many spaces the piece must move in the corresponding direction, giving every piece its own movement information directly on the board.

The game’s central challenge is to use these numbered movement options while advancing across the grid. Players must balance progress toward the far side with opportunities to remove opposing pieces and prevent the opponent from achieving the same objective.

• Players: 2
• Play time: approximately 10 minutes
• Board: a 6×9 grid
• Pieces: 12 per player, each quartered and numbered 1 through 4
• Captures: jump over an opponent’s piece or land on it

Opponents’ pieces can be taken in two ways: by moving over them in a jump or by ending a move on their space. These capture rules create direct interaction as players look for ways to open a route, disrupt opposing movement, or reduce the other side’s forces.

With its small board, defined movement values, and two clear winning conditions, Zensū offers a focused abstract contest. Released in 1995, it combines a race across the grid with the possibility of eliminating every opposing piece.