Teeko Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Requirements
• Object of the Game
  • Illustrative Winning Positions
• Starting of the Game
• The Play
• Additional Rules
• A Word to the Beginner
• How to Improve Your Game
  • Board Numbering
• Sample Plays
  • Sample Play No. 1
  • Sample Play No. 2
  • Sample Play No. 3
  • Sample Play No. 4
  • Sample Play No. 5
  • Sample Play No. 6
  • Sample Play No. 7
  • Sample Play No. 8
  • Sample Play No. 9
  • Sample Play No. 10
  • Sample Play No. 11
  • Sample Play No. 12
• Concluding Advice to Beginners

Requirements

1. Two players.
2. A Teeko game board.
3. Eight Teeko pieces of which four are colored black and four are colored red.

Object of the Game

Each player tries to win the game by arranging his four Teeko pieces on the Teeko game board in such a manner as to form one of the 44 winning positions. The winning positions are as follows: 10 vertical positions, 10 horizontal positions, 8 diagonal positions, and 16 square positions. The following is a description of the winning positions:

1. A Vertical Position, four Teeko pieces of the same color arranged in a row running up and down.
2. A Horizontal Position, four Teeko pieces of the same color arranged in a row running from left to right.
3. A Diagonal Position, four Teeko pieces of the same color arranged in a row running diagonally right to left or diagonally left to right.
4. A Square Position, four Teeko pieces of the same color arranged in such a manner as to form a square.

Illustrative Winning Positions

The following illustrations depict one winning position from each group on the Teeko board. The four black circles represent four Teeko pieces of the same color that are in a winning position. The four shaded circles represent the four opposite colored Teeko pieces.

Illustration captions (the leaflet's diagrams show one example of each group):

• A Vertical Position — Teeko has 10 of the above positions.
• A Horizontal Position — Teeko has 10 of the above positions.
• A Diagonal Position — Teeko has 8 of the above positions.
• A Square Position — Teeko has 16 of the above positions.

Starting of the Game

1. Each player selects four Teeko pieces of the same color.
2. The decision as to which player makes the opening move is decided by mutual consent or by the toss of a coin. The players then move alternately.
3. Players take turns in starting each new game.

The Play

To make the playing rules easier for a player to understand, the following explanations are necessary.

One. The player making the opening move shall be known as "A", and his opponent as "B".

Two. A vacant circle is a circle on the Teeko game board which does not have a Teeko piece resting on it. The playing of the game is as follows:

1. A places his first Teeko piece on any one of the 25 circles.
2. B places his first Teeko piece on any one of the 24 vacant circles.
3. A places his second Teeko piece on any one of the 23 vacant circles.
4. B places his second Teeko piece on any one of the 22 vacant circles.
5. A places his third Teeko piece on any one of the 21 vacant circles.
6. B places his third Teeko piece on any one of the 20 vacant circles.
7. A places his fourth and last Teeko piece on any one of the 19 vacant circles.
8. B places his fourth and last Teeko piece on any one of the 18 vacant circles.
9. If a player succeeds in placing his fourth and last Teeko piece on the Teeko game board in such a manner as to complete a winning position, he shouts, "Teeko", and is declared the winner.
10. If a winning position has not been attained by either of the two players, with the placing of their four Teeko pieces on the Teeko game board, the game continues to be played in the following manner.

A player at his turn of play must move one of his own Teeko pieces forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally in any direction from the circle it is resting on to a vacant adjacent circle. This is done by merely sliding (moving) a Teeko piece over one of the lines connecting both circles. In other words the player merely follows a line from one circle to any vacant adjacent circle.

This method of moving is continued alternately until a player shouts, "Teeko," which indicates that he has won the game by forming one of the 44 winning positions.

Additional Rules

1. Once a Teeko piece has been touched by a player at his turn of play, that Teeko piece must be moved.
2. A Teeko piece once moved to a circle cannot be taken back. It shall be considered a completed move whether the player still holds the Teeko piece or not.
3. If a player (or both players) are moving their pieces in such a manner as to indicate a deadlock, either player may call for a 30 move limit (15 moves for each player) to be counted from the point at which notice is given. Failure of either player to win the game at the end of the 30 move limit, the game shall be declared a draw.
4. If a player fails to move within 5 minutes, "Time" shall be called, failure to complete the move upon the expiration of a minute loses the game for that player.
5. A match between players of equal standings, wins, losses and draws to count, shall consist of an even number of games, so that each player may have the opening move the same number of times.

A Word to the Beginner

To demonstrate the moving possibilities of a Teeko piece, the following examples are given. When a Teeko piece is resting on the center circle of the Teeko game board, that Teeko piece can be moved to any one of the eight vacant adjacent circles, by merely following the lines. If a Teeko piece is resting on one of the corner circles it can only be moved to one of three vacant adjacent circles.

Although the starting player can put his opponent on the defense with the placing of his Teeko pieces on the game board, it does not mean that the starting player must win the game. The beginner must be aware of the fact that every strategic move made by the starting player at the beginning of the game can be blocked by his opponent.

The strategy involved in the playing of Teeko can be compared to the tactics employed in Army warfare. A player often finds himself on the offense and defense several times before the completion of a game. Therefore, if a player finds himself playing defensively he should not lose heart because one move by either player may permit him to take the offense or better still win the game.

It is of course impossible for any player to memorize every one of the 1,081,575 different positions on the Teeko board. Therefore the player must be mentally alert at all times. The player must have a reason for every play he makes: he must be building toward a play that he is familiar with, or he must be trying to break up his opponent's offensive strategy.

Due to the fact that the playing of Teeko requires deep concentration, many winning plays are often overlooked. Therefore it is suggested even though a player knows he is in a losing position, there is no reason for him to be certain that his opponent recognizes it also. In the face of this fact, one should not point out winning or losing positions on the Teeko board while a game is in progress. Very often a losing position may be maneuvered into a winning one on the following play and bring victory out of defeat.

How to Improve Your Game

To aid the beginner in improving his game more rapidly and to give him a better understanding of the skillful possibilities of Teeko, seventeen Teeko sample plays, and their solutions are given on the following pages.

To simplify the description of these sample plays, each of the circles on the Teeko game board have been given numbers. Therefore, when the sample plays are described, the player must visualize these numbers on his own Teeko game board.

Board Numbering

The Teeko game board has 25 circles in five rows of five, numbered from left to right and top to bottom:

• Row 1: circles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• Row 2: circles 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
• Row 3: circles 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
• Row 4: circles 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
• Row 5: circles 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

(Numbering as shown in the leaflet's sample-play diagram.)

Sample Plays

Each sample play lists where the black and red pieces are placed, which side moves first, and the solution. The solution is given as the leaflet prints it.

Sample Play No. 1

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 7, 9, 12, and 14. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 10, 13, 17, and 19. Black moves first and wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Black moves 14 to 8. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 12 to 6 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 2

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 13, 15, 18, and 21. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 7, 8, 14, and 19. Black moves first and wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Black moves 15 to 9. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 18 to 17 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 3

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 7, 8, 13, and 14. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 6, 9, 18, and 19. Black moves first and wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Black moves 8 to 12. Red moves 6 to 11, Black moves 14 to 8 and wins the game. Had red moved 9 to 8, black moves 7 to 11 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 4

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 8, 12, 13, and 17. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 3, 9, 14, and 18. Black moves first and wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Black moves 13 to 7. Red moves a piece to 13, Black moves 8 to 2 and wins the game. Had red moved 3 to 2, black moves 17 to 13 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 5

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 19, 20, 22, and 23. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 14, 16, 17, and 18. Black moves first and wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Black moves 20 to 24. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 19 to 25 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 6

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 6, 8, 9, and 16. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 7, 13, 14, and 19. Black moves first and wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Black moves 6 to 12. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 9 to 4 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 7

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 8, 13, 14, and 18. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 9, 12, 17, and 24. Black moves first and wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Black moves 14 to 19. Red moves a piece to 23. Black moves 8 to 14 and wins the game. Had red moved 9 to 14, black moves 19 to 23 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 8

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 11, 12, 21, and 22. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 14, 17, 23, and 25. Red moves first. Black wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Red moves 17 to 16. Black moves 21 to 17. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 11 to 7 and wins the game. There is another solution to this play. Try and solve it.

Sample Play No. 9

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 2, 9, 10, and 13. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 3, 4, 5, and 7. Black moves first and wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Black moves 13 to 8. Red is compelled to move 7. Black moves 2 to 7 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 10

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 3, 8, 9, and 20. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 12, 13, 16, and 19. Black moves first and wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Black moves 9 to 14. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 3 to 2 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 11

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 6, 11, 13, and 19. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 8, 12, 15, and 16. Black moves first and wins the game in two moves.

Solution: Black moves 11 to 7. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 6 to 1 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 12

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 8, 9, 13, and 18. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 3, 4, 14, and 19. Black moves first and wins the game in three moves.

Solution: Black moves 13 to 7. Red moves 3 to 2. Black moves 18 to 12, red moves 2 to 6. Black moves 9 to 13 and wins the game. Had red moved to 13, black moves 12 to 6 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 13

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 8, 13, 18, and 22. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 7, 12, 17, and 23. Black moves first and wins the game in three moves.

Solution: Black moves 13 to 14. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 8 to 9. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 9 to 10 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 14

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 13, 15, 17, and 18. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 6, 7, 8, and 19. Black moves first and wins the game in three moves.

Solution: Black moves 15 to 9. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 18 to 22. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 22 to 21 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 15

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 9, 11, 12, and 18. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 17, 19, 20, and 25. Black moves first and wins the game in three moves.

Solution: Black moves 18 to 13. Red moves a piece to 14. Black moves 9 to 8. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 11 to 7 and wins the game.

Sample Play No. 16

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 4, 9, 14, and 24. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 8, 11, 13, and 19. Black moves first and wins the game in three moves.

Solution: Black moves 24 to 20. Red moves one of the following 11, 12, or 13. Black moves 20 to 15. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 4 to 10 and wins game.

Sample Play No. 17

Place the black Teeko pieces on circles 3, 10, 15, and 18. Place the red Teeko pieces on circles 7, 13, 16, and 17. Black moves first and wins the game in four moves.

Solution: Black moves 3 to 9. Red moves 13 to 14. Black moves 18 to 19. Red moves one of the following 7, 16, or 17. Black moves 19 to 20. Red moves any piece desired. Black moves 9 to 5 and wins the game.

Concluding Advice to Beginners

The observance of the Teeko rules makes for a more interesting and enjoyable game. Therefore, follow the rules of the game strictly and compel your opponent to do the same.

Bearing in mind that your opponent has a motive behind every move he makes, always attempt to determine the reason behind his every move. By analyzing the reason for each of your opponent's moves against you, you will often be in a better position to offset his strategy.

The importance of studying the sample plays in this booklet cannot be stressed too highly as an important aid to the beginner's advancement as a player. Play with better players whenever possible as this is the quickest road to improving your skill.

If possible join a Teeko Club or organization which has installed Teeko as one of its recreational activities. If there is no Teeko Club in your town or city, you might possibly be in a position to organize one in your community. Activities of this type will not only help raise the standard of the player, and popularize Teeko, America's most fascinating game in your locality, but also provide many enjoyable evenings for members of the Teeko Club.