Gipf: I play the game

G. The PÜNCT-potential

Use of the special ability

The PÜNCT-potential has 6 little notches6...........................
at its outmost edge.

1. The PÜNCT-potential has the ability to:

neutralize an opponent’s PÜNCT-potential;
neutralize an opponent’s GIPF-piece;
convert an opponent’s GIPF-piece into a GIPF-piece of its own color.

2. To use a PÜNCT-potential, take it from the basic piece (i.e. “unload” the loaded piece) and have it jump onto an opponent’s piece on an adjacent spot. It can jump onto:

an opponent’s piece that is loaded with a PÜNCT-potential;
an opponent’s PÜNCT-potential that has jumped on one of your own PÜNCT-potentials;
an opponent’s GIPF-piece.

In other words, the PÜNCT-potential cannot jump onto a basic piece, nor a basic piece that is loaded with a potential of another type, nor a potential of another type that has been used (but is still on the board).

3. You neutralize an opponent’s PÜNCT-potential when you jump with one of your own PÜNCT-potentials on top of it, but you set it free again when you must take your PÜNCT-potential from the board (when it is part of a row that must be removed). Your color occupies the spot for as long as your PÜNCT-potential stays on top of the opponent’s PÜNCT-potential. When you remove your potential, it is the opponent’s color that occupies that spot again.

4. You may jump with a PÜNCT-potential onto an opponent’s PÜNCT-potential that has jumped onto one of your own PÜNCT-potentials! So it is possible for several PÜNCT-potentials to be stacked on top of each other, alternating colors, but it is always the potential on top of the stack that occupies the spot. When such a stack of potentials is part of a row that must be taken from the board, remove only the highest potential of the stack.

5. When you jump with a PÜNCT-potential on an opponent’s GIPF-piece, you do not actually put it on top of the GIPF-piece: you remove the potential (i.e. it goes out of the game!) and you put either one (1) or two (2) basic pieces out of your reserve on the GIPF-piece.

(1) You put one single basic piece from your reserve on top of the opponent’s GIPF-piece. The GIPF is neutralized – it does not count as a GIPF-piece any more! – for as long as your piece remains on top of it. When this stack is part of a row that must be taken from the board, you only remove your basic piece; the GIPF-piece underneath it is released and counts again as a GIPF-piece for your opponent.

(2) You take two basic pieces out of your reserve and put them onto the opponent’s GIPF-piece. This means that you put a GIPF-piece on top of your opponent’s GIPF-piece. By doing so, you create a new GIPF-piece during a game of GIPF (which is normally not allowed). The GIPF-piece underneath it does not count as a GIPF-piece for your opponent for as long as it is covered by your GIPF-piece. However, your opponent may jump onto your GIPF-piece and convert it yet again into a GIPF-piece of his color. As such, you can have a stack of GIPF-pieces, alternating colors, but it is only the GIPF-piece on top of the stack that counts.

6. Deal with a GIPF-piece on top of an opponent’s GIPF-piece in exactly the same way you would a normal GIPF-piece. When it is part of a row that must be removed, you may leave it on the board (i.e. on the stack) or you may take it from the board (i.e. from the stack). If you decide to remove it, you only remove your GIPF-piece and you must always remove it as a whole: you may not leave one piece on top of the opponent’s GIPF-piece.

7. As already stated in the points above, when removing one of your PÜNCT-potentials or a basic piece or a GIPF-piece from the top of an opponent’s potential or GIPF-piece, you set free the potential of GIPF-piece underneath. By doing so, it can happen that you create a new row of four. As in regular GIPF, each row must be seen as “one entity.” So always deal with rows one by one, and apply the following rules very strictly:

When it is your turn, first check whether your opponent has created a row of your color. If so, you must remove it.
If, by doing so, you capture (remove) an opponent’s used PÜNCT-potential and, by setting free your PÜNCT-potential underneath it, create a new row, you must also remove that row. If you capture an opponent’s basic piece or GIPF-piece on top of one of your own GIPF-pieces and, by setting free your GIPF-piece underneath it, create a new row, you must remove that row.
If you have to remove one of your own used PÜNCT-potentials and, by setting free the opponent’s PÜNCT-potential underneath it, create a row for your opponent, that row remains on the board. If you remove a basic piece or a GIPF-piece on top of an opponent’s GIPF-piece and, by setting free the opponent’s GIPF-piece underneath it, create a row for your opponent, this row also remains on the board. (Because it is not your opponent’s turn yet!)
After having dealt with the rows of your color (if any), you must make a move. (You may use this move to break an opponent’s row you‘ve just created through the removal of one of your pieces!)
After your move, you must again remove the rows of your color (if any).
If you capture an opponent’s used PÜNCT-potential or an opponent’s single piece or GIPF-piece and, by setting free your PÜNCT-potential or GIPF-piece underneath it, you create a new row (of your color), you must remove that row, too.
If you remove one of your own used PÜNCT-potentials or a basic piece or a GIPF-piece and, by setting free the opponent’s PÜNCT-potential or GIPF-piece underneath, you create a row for your opponent, he must remove that row as soon as it is his turn.
Now it is your opponent’s turn. He must apply exactly the same rules described above.

Reminder: a used potential (regardless its colour) may not be left on the board when it is part of a row that must be removed (cf. General use, point 9).

7. Some more special cases!

You can only jump with a PÜNCT-potential on an opponent’s GIPF-piece if you can put at least a single basic piece on top of the GIPF-piece. (See point 5.) If not, the potential’s special strength (thus its true “potential”) is not used, and that you must do to make a correct move with it.
If you jump with a PÜNCT-potential on top of your opponent’s last GIPF-piece, you win! (That is, as written above, if you have at least one piece in your reserve to put onto the GIPF-piece.) But if you jump with a PÜNCT-potential onto the opponent’s last GIPF-piece and you put a single basic piece on top of it, and, by doing so, you create a row of four (of your color) through which you have to remove the basic piece you’ve just put on top of your opponent’s last GIPF-piece, you have NOT won the game. Victory conditions are always checked at the end of a turn.
If you jump with a PÜNCT-potential on top of an opponent’s GIPF-piece and you put a single basic piece on top of it, your opponent may not jump with one of his PÜNCT-potentials onto this stack. The piece on top of the stack is a basic piece, and a PÜNCT-potential cannot jump on top of that. (See point 2 above.)