Hex14: A Connection Game

“If black is ocean and white is land, and you connect side to side, one cannot pass through the other…"

A Beautiful Mind. Dir. Ron Howard. Universal Pictures, 2001.

The game of Hex was first invented in 1942 by Piet Hein, a Danish mathematician. In 1948 an American mathematician John Nash, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, re-invented the game, which became popular among the students at Princeton.

Hex is a two-player connection game. The rules are stunningly simple, this game can be learned in less than a minute. Each player has an allocated color, usually red or blue. Players take turns coloring a single empty cell within the overall playing board with their colors. The goal for each player is to form a connected path of those cells linking sides of the board marked by their colors. The first player to complete the connection wins the game.

The game is very easy to start, but hard to master. Try to win against the computer engine provided by this app. If you do not like your last move(s), feel free to use the undo button. Using settings increase complexity level, enable swap rule, allow the computer to make first move (with or without swap rule). If you want to learn the best moves try the hint button.

Swap rule: Since in Hex the first player has a distinct advantage, the swap rule can be used for fairness. This rule gives the second player an option to switch positions with the first player after the first player makes the first move. Thus the first player is forced to choose a first move that will not give a definite win.

Please share your feedback, especially if you have found issues or can win easily. Make sure to try all levels including Expert.

Credits:

Current computer engine of this app is based on implementation by Lutz Tautenhahn.

The Expert level is based on Project Benzene implementation of the award winning MoHex engine.

More information about Hex can be found at:

- Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_(board_game%29

- Hex Wiki: http://hexwiki.amecy.com

- Hex Strategy: http://hexwiki.amecy.com/index.php/Strategy

If you prefer to play Hex with a friend, we recommend using two players mode.

Have fun!