Author: David Smith
Editor: Tantrix - Spain
Year: 1981
Players: 2
Duration: 30 minutes
rules Complexity: Low
Age: +8
Unfortunately in the Fair Play x Play Granollers there was something very important happened unnoticed. There was a Castilian stand the reissue of one of the most important games of the last century abstract. I mean the fact
Trax. In 1987 he arrived in Spain from the hand of the famous card factory Alava Heraclio Fournier. I guess at that time Fournier people saw it as a game that could become a commercial success. Because history tells us that not much given to get out of card games and also in the regulation that comes with the game always addressed him with the name of Fournier-Trax Trax instead of simply giving the impression that they wanted to popularize the name Company through the game. As often happens, the end I think Trax did not sell well at all, as Fournier never reissued and it is likely that even be possible to obtain a copy, I got mine like 5 years ago at a tobacconist (yes I have 2 sets with which I make to finish more than 95% of the games, and Trax that there is no theoretical limit)
The importance of Trax in the history of the games reside it is a game that very little has been lacking so that it can be considered a perfect game. Understand how perfect game one whose regulation is entirely logical and natural and does not need any patch to run it more universal level than human and that the depth is unlimited. Games "almost perfect" now I come to mind are the go and the hex. As imperfections we can both say they need to be patched to eliminate the advantage the first player in the first one through the Komi and the second with the option to exchange. Furthermore, both games have thus limited the board today in the dimensions of 19x19 and 13x13 in g in hex is not a problem but who knows what that can happen in the future (10x10 board in the hex and hardly pose a mystery to the best players). On the other hand have a rule go-ko patch (or the triple ko, ko for whom the patch does not appear on the other hand, the hex is played on a board a bit irregular.
Trax in no change the limited space on the board and that does not exist and the tiles are placed increasingly larger the pitch without any restrictions. But as we grow the board's position becomes more and more unstable and therefore there will come a time when someone will find a winning combination and will end the game. By nature none of the players has an advantage because the chips are common to both and only two colors of tile lines is what belongs to a player or another, but the lines are completely symmetrical so that a player always does the same for if and the other even after the rest of the tiles in the game and give rise to different situations. Too bad the trax have a couple of rules-patch, although the first can be avoided.
The first is that given a victory condition by forming lines. This rule is inherited from what was once called Trax (Fournier rules) and now called Trax 8x8 in which to do that every game could end with September 1, 1964 fcihas limited to 8x8 board and added the victory condition of the line from side to side tableero to have less ties. Even with unlimited space (current version Trax, before conversion of Fournier-called Super Trax) line rule has been maintained. Anyway there is a version called Loop Trax game that only allows the victory through circuit training and therefore is whether it would be perfect if not for the inevitable rule of the play banned. In Trax play a tile can force that player plays the same shift more tiles in a domino effect can happen (although usually not found in the games) to play one of these tiles cause a domino effect that in a position impossible and therefore not allowed to start that sequence.
also say that the game is very tactical and there is little strategy and if the line is removed as a condition of victory even less strategic. Also some believe that it will not be in it when the computers get to solve the game but not the arguments they use.
Despite this, Trax is a fantastic game where beginners can often have the feeling that finding a winning combination is impossible and that is lost through forgetfulness of merit rather than defending the attacker, but it is certainly practice they learn to recognize patterns that can attack. After aprendiazaje first phase of the game is spectacular, there is a known position (the equivalant to mate pastor in chess), where with only 3 tiles in the field the second player is able to find a winning combiación that lead to victory the play 14 with a total of 23 pieces played.
Note: The new version is not compatible with that of Fournier and that the current lines are white and red and black background and the original lines were white and black with red background.
My Rating:
- The Game: 9
- The Mechanism Originality: 9
- Graphs and Components: 9
