Not Chess

On the Subject of Not Chess

This ain’t chess, it’s a computer.

This module takes place on a 6×6 checkerboard, shown to the right. You play as white, while the computer plays as black.

Pieces move diagonally forward one square at a time.
You can only move onto an empty dark square.
If an opponent’s piece is diagonally adjacent, and the square immediately beyond it is empty, you can jump over it and capture it.
Captures are mandatory — if you can jump, you must.
Multiple jumps are allowed in a single turn.
When a piece reaches the last row, it becomes a king. Kings can move and capture both forwards and backwards.
- If a player’s piece captures an opponent’s piece and becomes a king simultaneously, their turn ends immediately. They cannot continue their turn with a backwards capture.
You win by capturing all of your opponent’s pieces or blocking them so they have no legal moves.

Every 108 seconds, you must use the buttons to make your move. From the moment the alarm sounds, you will have 40 seconds make any valid move on the checkerboard.

The time remaining is calculated by taking the displayed letter’s alphabetic position (A0-Z25), multiplying it by 10, and adding the displayed number.

Enter your move by pressing the letter and number buttons to input the starting and ending coordinates. (Most moves require two coordinate entries, though additional inputs may be needed if multiple captures occur in the same turn.)

On every move after the first, your opponent will also move a piece. The start and end positions of the opponent’s move are indicated by the LEDs at the bottom of the module, with a short pause between them. The green LED shows the file (a–f), while the red LED shows the rank (1–6). If a yellow LED lights up, it indicates that the rank and file are the same (e.g., a1, b2, etc.).

When approximately 40% of the bomb’s modules are solved, when the timer reaches three minutes, or when either player has no remaining moves, the LEDs at the bottom of the module will light up solid. At this point, use the tables on the next page to enter two coordinates to disarm the module.

First coordinate: White pieces remaining
0	The location of the black piece which captured the last white piece.
1	If it is in rank 4 or below and there is a black piece, file a in the rank corresponding to the number of black checkers. Otherwise, d4.
2	If there is exactly one black piece diagonally touching both white pieces, its coordinate. Otherwise, c5.
3	If there is exactly one kinged piece, its coordinate. Otherwise, f2
4	The square with the same rank and file which have no pieces within them. If there arenone or multiple, e5.
5	The square on which a white piece began on, which has no piece on it now. If there are none or multiple, a1.
6	a5.

Second coordinate: Black pieces remaining
0	d4.
1	Its position.
2	The coordinate of the midpoint between the two pieces, only if it falls on a square of the board. Otherwise, f2
3	If all three pieces are diagonally touching, the coordinate which lies at the midpoint of their arrangement. Otherwise, a1.
4	File a in whichever rank has the most black pieces. If tied, a5.
5	Rank 5 in whichever file has a unique number of black pieces. If there are none or multiple, c5.
6	If there are 3 or fewer white pieces, the coordinate obtained by using the number of white pieces in this table. Otherwise, e5.