bocch
bocch is a two-player abstract board game on a 6×6 grid where each stone moves exactly the number of surrounding stones and the daily puzzle or challenge resets every day at midnight.
Play bocchA fresh puzzle is waiting for you.
bocch is a deterministic, read-and-react board game played on a 6×6 board between two players. Each stone's legal move distance equals the number of stones in the eight surrounding squares, capped at four; a stone with no neighbors cannot move. Stones jump over intervening pieces, pieces are not captured, and the first player to get two stones onto the opponent's back row wins.
The site supports online play without mandatory accounts and lets you start rooms to send links to friends for immediate games. There are CPU opponents at several strengths, match history stored on the device, ranked online play with a rating system, a daily solo puzzle that changes at 0:00, and study resources including guides, videos, and evaluation tools for review and analysis.
How to play bocch
- Start with six stones on your home edge as shown and decide colors; black plays first.
- Select one of your stones that has at least one neighbor in the eight surrounding squares to move.
- Move that stone straight along a file, rank, or diagonal exactly the number of surrounding stones it had before moving, counting five or more as four.
- You may jump over stones on the path but you cannot land on an occupied square.
- If after your move you have two or more stones on the opponent's back row you win immediately.
- If you have no legal moves on your turn you lose; identical positions repeated three times are a draw.
Tips for bocch
- Count neighbors precisely before moving because the distance is fixed by the pre-move neighbor count and affects future mobility for many stones.
- Use moves that change surrounding counts to create chaining opportunities where one move enables another friendly stone to reach the goal.
- Avoid isolating your key stones; an isolated stone cannot move and may block your path to the opponent edge.
- Plan two steps ahead: placing a stone that looks forward-building can also open a route for your opponent, so prefer forcing moves when possible.
bocch FAQ
What is bocch?
bocch is a two-player abstract board game on a 6×6 grid in which each stone moves exactly the number of stones surrounding it, with five or more counted as four, and a stone with no neighbors cannot move. The goal is to get two of your stones onto the opponent's back row; stones jump over others and are never captured.
Is bocch free to play?
Yes, bocch is free to play and does not require an account to start a match. The site explicitly states you can play without registering and that you can send a link to a friend to begin a game.
How does the daily puzzle work and when does it change?
The daily puzzle changes once per day at 0:00 (midnight). Only the first challenge attempt of that day counts toward a consecutive-streak record; repeat attempts are treated as practice.
Can I play bocch with friends online?
Yes, you can play with friends by creating a room and sending the room link to them to join. The game also supports random matching to pair you automatically with another waiting player.
Is there single-player or CPU play?
Yes, bocch provides single-player CPU opponents at multiple difficulty levels labeled easy, normal, hard, and strongest. CPU matches are available for practice and the site also supports AI-versus-AI research and evaluation modes.
What do the numbers or surroundings mean for movement?
A stone's moving distance equals the number of stones in the eight squares surrounding it at the moment before moving, with counts of five or more treated as four; a stone with zero surrounding stones cannot move. The count ignores stone color, so both players' pieces contribute equally to the movement count.
How is a win determined?
You win immediately when you have two or more of your stones on the opponent's back row after completing your move. Additionally, if a player has no legal moves on their turn they lose, and identical positions occurring three times result in a draw.
Can I save and resume games?
Yes, finished matches are stored automatically on the device and you can resume an unfinished match by reopening the same room link; match history remains on that device until cleared. The site also provides postgame review tools and evaluation graphs for analysis.
