Conventions - Revision history

Selinger: Updated introductory paragraph, to indicate that the conventions are now more stable than when the article was first written

2025-06-06T17:38:05Z

Updated introductory paragraph, to indicate that the conventions are now more stable than when the article was first written

Alcalyn: PlayHex does not have negative orientations

2025-01-24T20:07:31Z

PlayHex does not have negative orientations

Selinger: /* Universal vs. local conventions */ Updated the paragraph on universal conventions, as there are now some for Hex

2024-09-25T20:24:32Z

‎Universal vs. local conventions: Updated the paragraph on universal conventions, as there are now some for Hex

Selinger: /* List of conventions used */ Added AbstractPlay

2024-09-25T20:06:16Z

‎List of conventions used: Added AbstractPlay

Selinger: /* List of conventions used */ Added PlayHex

2024-09-25T19:55:07Z

‎List of conventions used: Added PlayHex

Alcalyn: orientatation

2024-09-25T12:14:24Z

orientatation

Selinger: /* List of conventions used */ Clarified swapping in Mohex

2024-02-04T17:44:10Z

‎List of conventions used: Clarified swapping in Mohex

Selinger: /* Cell naming */ Added more details on file labels.

2023-04-26T00:48:31Z

‎Cell naming: Added more details on file labels.

Selinger: /* List of conventions used */ Re-ordered rows

2023-04-26T00:42:10Z

‎List of conventions used: Re-ordered rows

Selinger: /* List of conventions used */ Updated IGG info and added PlayOK

2023-04-26T00:40:59Z

‎List of conventions used: Updated IGG info and added PlayOK

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:38, 6 June 2025
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−	This page lists possible conventions for Hex games. These conventions concern the color of the players, who goes first, the orientation of the board, and the numbering of the ~~positions~~ on the board. Unlike much older games such as Chess and Go, ~~there are no universally agreed upon conventions for~~ Hex, and different people, game sites, books, and computer programs sometimes use different conventions.	+	This page lists possible conventions for Hex games. These conventions concern the color of the players, who goes first, the orientation of the board, and the numbering of the cells on the board. Unlike much older games such as Chess and Go, Hex has no governing body that could set standardized rules, and for most of its history, different people, game sites, books, and computer programs sometimes use different conventions. However, in the last few years, most sites have converged on a compatible set of conventions, making game records more easily interchangeable.

	We distinguish ''logical'' from ''physical'' conventions. Logical conventions are concerned with the abstract rules of Hex, irrespectively of how the players visualize the game. Physical conventions relate to the specific appearance of the game board. When the game is played remotely, for example on an internet game server or over email, it is in principle possible for the two players to follow different physical conventions; for example, each player may choose their own preferred orientation of the board, or their own preferred colors for the pieces. However, both players should follow the same logical conventions.		We distinguish ''logical'' from ''physical'' conventions. Logical conventions are concerned with the abstract rules of Hex, irrespectively of how the players visualize the game. Physical conventions relate to the specific appearance of the game board. When the game is played remotely, for example on an internet game server or over email, it is in principle possible for the two players to follow different physical conventions; for example, each player may choose their own preferred orientation of the board, or their own preferred colors for the pieces. However, both players should follow the same logical conventions.

@@ Line 263: / Line 263: @@
 | red/blue
 | red
-| any
+| any positive
 |-
 | AbstractPlay

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 In the case of established games such as Chess and Go, there are universal conventions that all players have agreed on. This has certain advantages. For example, every chess player understands what it means to move a white pawn from d2 to d4, without requiring further explanation.
-In Hex, there are no universal conventions yet. Therefore, each player, book, game site, tournament, or hex program must define its own conventions. It may be desirable for a set of universal conventions to eventually crystallize.
+In Hex, there were no universal conventions prior to ca. 2020, and different players, books, game sites, tournaments, or Hex programs often used different conventions. Fortunately, some universal conventions seem to have crystallized in recent years, especially for the logical aspects of the game (such as the coordinate system and who goes first). Some physical conventions also seem to have become standard; for example, the colors are now almost universally black/white or red/blue, with black or red going first. Some conventions are unsettled; for example, both swap methods (swap-pieces and swap-sides) seem to be in common use. This is not a problem as long as game records specify which method is used. Other conventions, such as the board orientation, seem to depend on user preference and probably don't need to be standardized, although there is a strong preference for positive orientations.
 == Logical conventions ==

@@ Line 264: / Line 264: @@
 | red
 | any
 |-
 | HexWorld
@@ Line 304: / Line 313: @@
 * BoardGameArena has an explicit passing move, but three consecutive passes are not allowed. Therefore, if a player passes, the opponent can effectively reject the pass by passing too.
 [[category: Rules and Conventions]]

@@ Line 255: / Line 255: @@
 | black
 | positive flat
 |-
 | HexWorld

@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 With each color scheme, there are two possible conventions to which color is color 1. The more common conventions seem to be "black goes first", "red goes first", and "V goes first", but the opposite conventions also exist.
-=== Board orientatation ===
+=== Board orientation ===
 The board can be oriented in a number of different ways. It can be oriented in the ''positive'' or ''negative'' senses, and rotated to various angles.

@@ Line 292: / Line 292: @@
 * TRMPH implements swapping incorrectly. It changes the color of the piece, but not its location.
-* MoHex does not seem to implement swapping.
+* MoHex does not implement a swap-pieces move. It implements swap-sides, which it incorrectly (and confusingly) calls swap-pieces.
 * BoardGameArena has an explicit passing move, but three consecutive passes are not allowed. Therefore, if a player passes, the opponent can effectively reject the pass by passing too.
 [[category: Rules and Conventions]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:48, 26 April 2023
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	For the purpose of the following exposition, it is useful to refer to the cells that share a common number as a "rank", and to the cells that share a common letter as a "file", as in Chess. For example, the 1-rank consists of the cells A1, B1, C1, etc., and the A-file consists of the cells A1, A2, A3, etc.		For the purpose of the following exposition, it is useful to refer to the cells that share a common number as a "rank", and to the cells that share a common letter as a "file", as in Chess. For example, the 1-rank consists of the cells A1, B1, C1, etc., and the A-file consists of the cells A1, A2, A3, etc.
		+
		+	Note that in some games, such as Go, it is customary to omit certain letters from the alphabet, especially the letter I. This is done "to avoid confusion between I and J", and presumably dates from a time when typesetting was uncommon and people had terrible handwriting. However, in Hex, the standard 26-letter alphabet is used. If more than 26 letters are needed, alphabet numbers can be used: the next file after Z is AA, then AB, and so on.

	=== Edge coloring ===		=== Edge coloring ===

@@ Line 243: / Line 243: @@
 | red/blue or black/white
 | red or black
 | positive flat
 |-
@@ Line 262: / Line 271: @@
 | black
 | positive flat
-|-
+|-j
 | HexWiki
 | acute
@@ Line 270: / Line 279: @@
 | red/blue
 | red
 | positive flat
 |}