Donuts

DONUTS is an abstract strategy game for two players where the goal is to align five rings of your color to win. Originally playable as INSERT, the game features a unique setup and dynamic gameplay.

To start, arrange four 3x3 tiles randomly into a 6x6 grid, with each square on the grid displaying a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line. The first player places one of their rings on any unoccupied space, with the line on that space dictating the direction in which the opponent must place their ring—either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally aligned with the previous ring. If the opponent can't place a ring in that direction because all squares are occupied, they can place their ring on any unoccupied square.

A strategic twist occurs if you manage to place a ring between two of your opponent's rings, either in a configuration like this O_O or this OXX_O, allowing you to change the opposing rings to your color.

If the board fills up and neither player has created a row of five rings in their color, the player with the largest orthogonally connected group of rings wins the game.