Rithmomachy (1030)
Rithmomachy
Rithmomachia (also known as rithmomachy, arithmomachia, rythmomachy, rhythmomachy, the philosophers’ game, and other variants) is an early European mathematical board game. Its earliest known reference dates back to the 11th century. The game was played by intellectuals and mathematicians between the 10th and 16th centuries and was used as a mathematical teaching method. The game was at its most popular in the 16th century. The game was rediscovered in the 20th century by historians of board games such as Arno Borst.
Why is Rithmomachy Popular?
Rithmomachia is a rather unusual, highly complex mathematical board game. The game is much like chess, except most methods of capture depend on the numbers inscribed on each piece. The game is significant because it was used as a mathematical teaching method and was played by intellectuals and mathematicians between the 10th and 16th centuries.
Game Components of Rithmomachy
A rectangular board with 16 by 8 squares. Pieces with numbers printed on them according to the number theory of Boethius. Two pyramids.
Game Setup of Rithmomachy
The game is played on a board resembling the one used for chess or checkers with eight squares on the shorter side, but with sixteen on the longer side. The forms used for the pieces were triangles, squares, and rounds. Pyramids could be formed by stacking pieces. The black and white forces were not symmetrical.
Gameplay Mechanics of Rithmomachy
The game is much like chess, except most methods of capture depend on the numbers inscribed on each piece. The goal of the game is to capture the opponent’s pyramid and to create an alignment on the opponent’s half of the board forming a mathematical progression. The progression may be arithmetic (a sequence where the difference between the values is constant), geometric (where each value after the first is determined by multiplying the previous value by a fixed number), or harmonic (1/a, 1/a+d, 1/a+2d, 1/a+3d). The pieces in the progression must be in a straight orthogonal or diagonal line or in a chevron shape, and must be equally spaced.
Game Objective of Rithmomachy
The object of Rithmomachy is to capture the enemy Pyramid, and the first player to do this is the winner.
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