Welcome to the network Quadrant Hex server. The rules of Quadrant Hex are given below. The Quadrant Hex challenge command is described here. Other commands are the same for all pbmserv games.
quadhex challenge [-size=number] userid1 userid2
Start a new game between userid1 and userid2
The -size parameter sets the overall board size. This must be an even number in the range 6..26 (the default being 10).
First let's recap the rules of Hex. Two players, Vert and Horz, take turns placing one of their pieces on a hexagonally tiled rhombus. Vert wins by connecting the top and bottom edges with a chain of V pieces, while Horz wins by connecting the left and right sides with a chain of H pieces.
Quadrant Hex is identical to standard Hex except that in addition to the standard game the board is divided into four equal quadrants, each containing a subgame played according to the same rules.
This gives a total of 5 pts: 1 pt for the standard game and 1 pt for each of the four subgames. A player wins the overall game as soon as they score 3 pts, which may involve winning the standard game plus two subgames, or winning three subgames.
Quadrant Hex retains the wonderful purity of standard Hex (one player must win) while introducing interesting side play. The official rules can be found on the Quadrant Hex website (http://home.fuse.net/swmeyers/quadrant.htm).
Below is a 14x14 game of Quadrant Hex won by Horz.
A B C D E F G H
I J K L M N
1 . . . V . . . - - - - - - - 1
2 . . . V . . . - - - - - - - 2
3 . . . V . . . - - - - - - - 3
4 . . . V . . . H H H H H H H 4
5 . . . V . . . - - - - - - - 5
6 . . . V . . . - - - - - - - 6
7 . . . V . . . - - - - -
- - 7
8 - - - V - - - . .
. . . . . 8
9 - - - V - -
- H H H H H H H 9
10 - - - V - -
- . . . . . . . 10
11 - - -
V V V V V V V V . . . 11
12
- - - - - - - . . . V . . . 12
13
H H H H H H H . . . V . . . 13
14
- - - - - - - . . . V . . . 14
A
B C D E F G H I J K L M N
Even though Vert has won the standard 14x14 game (plus one 7x7 subgame), Horz has won three of the 7x7 subgames to give them the 3 pts and the overall win. This becomes clear if we examine each subgame in isolation:
. .
. V . . . - - - - - - -
. . . V . . . -
- - - - - -
. . . V . . . -
- - - - - -
. . . V . . . H
H H H H H H
. . . V . . . -
- - - - - -
. . . V . . . -
- - - - - -
. . . V . . .
- - - - - - -
-
- - V - - - . . . . . . .
- - - V - - - H H H H H H H
- - - V - - - . . . . . . .
- - - V V V V V V V V . . .
- - - - - - - . . . V . . .
H H H H H H H . . . V . . .
- - - - - - - . . . V . . .
Vert moves first. The move syntax is: F6 Place a piece at coordinate F6, which must be empty. swap Horz may elect to swap Vert's opening move as their first play. This ensures that Vert does not start with too strong an opening move.
Quadrant Hex was invented by Steven Meyers in 2000 as a variant of Trellis. It was originally introduced as quadrant Trellis in his October 2001 GAMES Magazine article, but this name was later changed to quadrant Hex in keeping with the game's fundamental nature.
Quadrant Hex rules copyright (c) 2000 Steven Meyers
Implementation and help file by Cameron Browne, April 2003.