Upper Hand Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Contents
• How to Play
• Expert Players Variant

Objective

Place the marbles to build a pyramid, according to simple game rules.

Contents

• 1 plastic game board with 25 holes for marbles
• 55 plastic marbles in 3 colours

How to Play

1. Place the black marble in the hole at the centre of the game board. This marble does not belong to any player. See diagram no. 1.

2. Separate the marbles into two groups by colour (a group of yellow marbles and a group of red marbles). Place the marbles in the compartments of the game board.

3. Each player chooses the colour of these marbles: red or yellow.

4. Decide which player starts the game.

5. Each player, in turn, places a marble in a free hole on the board.

   Note: each player's goal is to place 3 marbles next to one another, forming a triangle, so as to build a pyramid step by step. The fourth marble may belong to the same player or to the rival player. Remember: you must anticipate one turn ahead to find the best place for the marbles, so as to put three marbles together.

6. The other player places a marble on the board, and so on.

7. When the marbles have been placed in all the holes of the first level, check how many groups of four marbles have been formed. If at least three marbles in a group of four are the same colour, the player with that colour places another marble on these four. The other player does the same without waiting for a turn. Placing marbles on groups of four that have already been formed is not considered a turn in the game. See diagram no. 2.

8. The game continues, turn by turn. The players place marbles on the second level, following the same rules as for the first level.

9. When the second level is complete, check the groups of four, place marbles on them, and continue to the third layer, until one of the players has got rid of all of his or her marbles.

The winner is the first player to get rid of all of his or her marbles.

Expert Players Variant

In this version of the game, the pyramid can be built at any moment of the game. After the marbles have been placed, the players check the groups of four that they have created. If at least three of the four marbles form a triangle of the same colour, the player with that colour may develop the pyramid by placing a marble. Placing marbles on groups of four in this way is not considered a turn in this game. See diagram no. 2.

If other groups of four have been created, the player may continue to place more marbles on these groups until all the groups of four are filled.

Note: in this version of the game, you may place a marble on a group of four before the first level has been completely covered by marbles.

The winner is the first player to have no more marbles.

Source note: the sheet's diagrams (diagram no. 1, the centre-hole placement, and diagram no. 2, a group of four with a triangle of one colour) are images and are not transcribed; the text refers to them as printed.