The Equipment
To play Lasca you need:
- A 7 x 7 chequered board.
- Eleven counters of each colour, marked on one side.
An ordinary 8 x 8 chess board can be used if an edge file and rank are covered with strips of paper. There should be a white square at each corner. Alternatively you can use the Lasca.org board in which the white squares have been expanded to circles, reducing the size of the unused black squares. You can print out a copy of this board from the PDF file here:
The counters should be flat so that they can be stacked into columns (some concave plastic draughtsmen are unsuitable). Alternatively you can use poker chips. One side of the counters should be easily distinguishable from the other, so if they are symmetrical they should be marked with a spot of paint or an indelible marker on one side.
The initial position
At the start of the game the pieces are laid out, plain side uppermost, in three rows on the white squares at each end of the board.
The Lasca board, with the initial arrangement of pieces.
In this and the following diagrams the pieces are shown edge-on, with spots to identify officers.
The pieces
As the game proceeds the following types of piece occur in the game:
SOLDIER: A single counter, plain face uppermost. It can move only diagonally forwards. When it reaches the opponent’s side of the board, it is promoted to an officer.
OFFICER: A single counter, marked face uppermost. It can move in either direction, forwards or backwards diagonally.
COLUMN: A stack of two or more soldiers or officers of one colour, possibly containing prisoners of the opposite colour underneath, moved as a single piece. The top counter, the commander, determines who owns and moves the column.
COMMANDER: The top counter of a column. Only if it is an officer may the column move in either direction.