On the 7x7 board there are eight red pawns in play. They are not pawns like the others: they do not lie down in a groove, they sit on a crossing, and they serve no purpose other than to kill.
What a red pawn does
A red pawn occupies a crossing. From that moment, any square touching that crossing becomes a dead zone: even properly closed, it earns no points at all, neither for you nor for your opponent.
A crossing touches up to four squares. So a single red pawn can sterilise an entire region of the board.
Three things many players do not know
- A red pawn costs no turn. You place it, and you still play your pawn. It is free in playing time.
- A red pawn can be taken back. Touch a red pawn already placed and it returns to the reserve. At any time. Nothing is final.
- A red pawn blocks the dark pawn. A dark pawn overhangs into the corners. If a red pawn already occupies that corner, the dark pawn simply cannot be placed there. Almost nobody exploits this defensive use.
When to place one
The red pawn is a weapon of refusal. You bring it out in three situations.
When you are ahead. If you are leading and a fine cluster of open squares remains where your opponent could score 12 points at once, a well-placed red pawn in the middle of that cluster erases the threat. You gain nothing; you stop them from gaining. When you are ahead, that amounts to the same thing.
When a cube is about to fall into your opponent's hands. You have closed three sides despite yourself, and the fourth is a gift. A red pawn in one corner of that square, and the gift is worthless.
To close a path to the dark pawn. Since a red pawn stops a dark pawn from taking the corner, you can condemn the exact crossing your opponent needs to validate a whole series of cubes.
When not to place one
The red pawn kills for both players. If you are behind, sterilising the board does not help you: you need cubes to close, because you have ground to make up. The red pawn is the tool of the player who leads, not of the one who is chasing.
And remember that unplayed pawns cost points at the end. A board you locked down too early is a board where you can no longer place your light and dark pawns. You punish yourself.
In family mode
The rulebook allows red pawns to be placed by agreement between the players, for family games. It is a good way to balance a game between an adult and a child: you agree together to neutralise a region.
ÉCHEC O CUBE — invented in Quebec in 1999. To play: jeu.echecocube.ca
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