From the Instruction booklet: "ELLIPSE has a simple premise, but unusual tactics that you will enjoy for minutes at a time, or for repeated ROUND AFTER ROUND OF FUN!!" Game includes -vinyl roll up board (similar to vinyl chess mats) -48 "jewels" in primary color (glass beads) -2 "jewels" in secondary color for alternate "8 ball" rules. The board features a series of circles and ellipses all intersecting at tangents and perpendiculars. Players take turns removing jewels from one shape (circle, or ellipse). The player who takes the last jewel loses. Strategy involves controlling the number removed on your turn by selecting intersecting shapes to either increase or decrease the number you take that turn, thus hopefully forcing your opponent to take the final piece.