Introduction Ayu is a dynamic connection game for two players: Black and White. It is played on the intersections (points) of an odd-sized square board. The suggested sizes are 11×11 for experienced players and 9×9 for beginners. At the start of the game, black and white pieces are arranged in an interspersed pattern (see images). The total number of pieces is equal to half the points in the board. Definitions In these rules, "adjacent" always means "orthogonally adjacent". A unit is a singleton or a group. A singleton is a piece with no adjacencies to like-colored pieces. A group is a set of like-colored, mutually adjacent pieces. A portion of a larger group is not a group. Play Black plays first, then turns alternate. On your turn, you must perform exactly one of the following actions: Move a friendly singleton to an adjacent empty point. Move a piece from a friendly group to an empty point adjacent to the same group. All pieces which were part of the same group before the move must be part of the same group after the move. Every move must reduce the distance between the moved unit and the closest friendly unit. The distance between two units is the shortest path of adjacent empty points between them, i.e. the number of consecutive moves you would need to join them. If you can't make a move on your turn, you win. This occurs when there is no open path between any two of your units or, more frequently, when your pieces are all together in the same group. If a board position is repeated with the same player to move, the game ends in a draw. This is known to be a possibility if both players cooperate, which doesn't happen in actual play. The pie rule can be used in order to balance the game. Notes An essential part of the strategy lies in building long walls between enemy units, thus forcing the opponent to spend many more turns connecting them. Also, playing from the outside inwards is more efficient, as it helps you not to leave any units behind. The distance rule has some interesting tactical effects: sometimes, in order to move a unit (A) in the desired direction, you'll have to first move away the unit (B) which is closest to it so that A isn't "engaged" to B anymore. Ayu is arguably the quintessential game of approach moves. The rules have been kept to a minimum so as to let the featured mechanism unfold by itself. The result is a very organic and innovative game with great strategic potential. "Ayu" is short for "Attach Your Units".