Setup and opening position
Each side fills the two rows nearest it with twelve pieces, leaving the middle two rows empty. Two concentric loop circuits connect selected interior rows and columns around all four corners.
Surakarta
Capture all twelve opposing pieces while keeping your own pieces connected to useful loop-entry tracks.
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How to play
Capture all twelve opposing pieces while keeping your own pieces connected to useful loop-entry tracks.
- Each side fills the two rows nearest it with twelve pieces, leaving the middle two rows empty. Two concentric loop circuits connect selected interior rows and columns around all four corners.
- A normal move goes one point in any of eight directions to an empty neighbor. A capture instead follows rows, columns, and at least one complete loop; every passed point must be empty, and the first encountered piece must be an enemy.
- Capture all twelve opposing pieces while keeping your own pieces connected to useful loop-entry tracks.
Strategy tips
- Move pieces from corners toward the four inner ranks and files that feed the circuits. Before attacking, trace both directions because a friendly blocker ends the route while a second loop can reach a distant target.
- A straight orthogonal line does not capture by itself, diagonals are only for ordinary one-step moves, and no loop path may jump over either color.
- With only a few targets left, guard the first occupied point on each circuit: a farther enemy is safe whenever any friendly or enemy piece blocks the track before it.
Complete guide
Rules, scoring, and strategy
Surakarta is a complete browser implementation with its own versioned rules profile. Reposition twelve pieces on a six-by-six grid, then strike along clear orthogonal tracks that curl through the board's distinctive corner loops.
Legal moves and game flow
A normal move goes one point in any of eight directions to an empty neighbor. A capture instead follows rows, columns, and at least one complete loop; every passed point must be empty, and the first encountered piece must be an enemy.
Winning and terminal positions
Capture all twelve opposing pieces while keeping your own pieces connected to useful loop-entry tracks. With only a few targets left, guard the first occupied point on each circuit: a farther enemy is safe whenever any friendly or enemy piece blocks the track before it.
Practical strategy
Move pieces from corners toward the four inner ranks and files that feed the circuits. Before attacking, trace both directions because a friendly blocker ends the route while a second loop can reach a distant target. A straight orthogonal line does not capture by itself, diagonals are only for ordinary one-step moves, and no loop path may jump over either color.
Questions players ask
What is the objective in Surakarta?
Capture all twelve opposing pieces while keeping your own pieces connected to useful loop-entry tracks.
Which moves are legal in Surakarta?
A normal move goes one point in any of eight directions to an empty neighbor. A capture instead follows rows, columns, and at least one complete loop; every passed point must be empty, and the first encountered piece must be an enemy.
What should I plan first in Surakarta?
Move pieces from corners toward the four inner ranks and files that feed the circuits. Before attacking, trace both directions because a friendly blocker ends the route while a second loop can reach a distant target.
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