Pylos

For 2 Players

Players attempt to build a pyramid by stacking the 30 spheres.


The rules below enable players to keep as many spheres as possible.

The winner is the player who has been able to keep the greatest number of spheres 

in his reserve area during the game 

so as to be the one to put on the last sphere or spheres.

Players must play when it is their turn.

Players lose when they no longer have any spheres.












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<Components>


- A truncated pyramid board with 16 hollows.





- 15 light spheres and 15 dark spheres.







<Playing a Game>

Start of the game

Each player alternately, 

puts a sphere from his reserve into any hollow which he has chosen.


Stacking on a square

When one or more squares are formed on the board or at higher levels,

a player can choose to stack one of his spheres on it;

when it is his turn to play,

he then has a choice between:

- taking a sphere from his reserve and placing it on the board;

- placing a sphere from his reserve on one of the squares of spheres (Fig. B 1);

- moving one of his spheres already on the board and putting it on a square of spheres,

but only if this move raises his sphere by one or more levels (Fig. B 2).

This move enables him to save a sphere in his reserve.

A sphere on the board cannot be moved

if it is already supporting another sphere.





Square in the player's own color

A player who makes a square of spheres 

in his own color (Fig. C 1) immediately takes back 

either one or two of his spheres from the board 

and puts them back in his reserve (Fig. C 2);

He may recover any sphere belonging to him 

by picking them up from any level of the pyramid - including the one 

which he has just placed - except for those spheres that support other spheres.

(Making several squares of spheres in his own color 

by putting on one sphere only allows the player 

to withdraw one or two of his spheres.)


Stacking and square

In the same move it is possible for a player:

- to raise up one of his spheres which is already on the board ( Fig. D 1),

- thus to make a square in his color (Fig. D 2),

- immediately to take back either one or 

who of his spheres and put them back into his reserve. (fig. D 3).










<End of the Game>

The winner is the one who places his last sphere at the top of the pyramid (Fig. E).










<Children's version>

To start gradually, it is possible to play 

without using the rules for the <<square in the player's own color>> - only the rules

for stacking allow the player to save spheres.










<Version for mature players: Alignment>

A player takes back one or two of his spheres 

which are on the board when he makes a square or a line in his color:

To be valid, alignments must be on either the first or the second level.

An alignment consists of:

- 4 spheres of the same color in line on the first level (Fig. F 1),

- 3 spheres of the same color in line on the second level (Fig. F 2).


A diagonal line is not an alignment.

No more than two spheres can be taken back per shot.










<Duration of one game>

From 5 to 20 minutes. 

In a tournament it is possible to allocate each player a limited time.