Rio Grande Games Yinsh

Enjoy this group of games very much, have GIPF, PUNCT, DVONN, TZAAR, And our favorite, ZERTZ. I only would like to get a copy of TAMSK, great game but very hard to find.

This is my favorite of the GIPF series of games that Ive played (although all the others are worthwhile, too). The making of a great game is one in which the rules are relatively easy to grasp, but the strategy has many levels of complexity, and that is certainly the case here. Its a very engaging game, where a single move can change the situation so drastically that thinking more than a couple moves ahead is nearly impossible. If you are a fan of abstract strategy games, I highly recommend this one.

Chips and pieces are beautiful and solid. I like the weight in my hand. Game is the easy to learn, lifetime to master type. My new favorite game.

Purchased Yinsh because of the great reviews and it did not disappoint! Also my 11 year old granddaughter beat me the first 3 out of 4 games! It is quick to learn the rules but not so easy to win!

This game has a great build quality of bakelite & metal for the pieces, and a standard cardboard game board. The box is oversized for its contents, but that means you could possibly store other Gipf games like Zertz in this. Also, the pieces and board are reusable for other games, such as Backgammon, Checkers, & Gipf, so that is a nice bonus (though you will need the right boards for Backgammon and Checkers, but the Yinsh board is big enough to play Gipf without any modification). Gameplay is easy to understand but there is a lot of depth that is easy to miss the first time around. Your rings are critical for blocking and offense, and in the former case could become pinned. Adjacent rings or those aligned in the same row are considerably weaker, and if you have your rings clumped together, you are in a weak position. Ideally, you want to build your rows of markers in such a way that is is impossible or exceedingly difficult for your opponent to convert them. This game, unlike Othello/Reversi, allows for a much more offensive play, but the consequence is that as you progress, you get weaker with less options to place pieces. Gameplay can quickly pivot, with the person with a winning setup suddenly usurped by the underdog that converted the enemy pieces into their own. You will commonly find yourself having to possibly break up your own lines, or create forks in order to defend against the opponent and build out your longer term strategy. The nature of the game does make it harder to predict many moves ahead, as the board can look so different so quickly. This makes it easier for beginners to compete with more experience players, which I think is a plus when introducing the game to new players. Unfortunately, this game is commonly hard to find in the US, and scalpers sell the game for over $100, When the game has a MSRP of about $35. Fortunately, the German Amazon, Amazon.de, is able to ship this game to the states, for a total cost of around $30-35, which is totally worth it IMHO, as you are buying from a trusted seller a a close to market price. This is definitely the first game of the Gipf series I would start with, both for the aesthetics and the gameplay.

Really fun game. Great seller.

Without a doubt this is my favorite two-player abstract strategy game. It is a mix of Pente and Othello, but that really makes it sound too simple. It really is simple to learn, but it will take time to learn strategies. It takes 5 to 10 games to really appreciate the nuances of the game and after that it will be a game that you will never get rid of or avoid playing. You have to get 3 five in a rows to win and as you get a 5 in a row then you take your power pieces off the board along with your 5 pieces. This mechanic makes you weaker as you win. It is really hard to put into words how this works and why it is so great. The component quality is very good. If you are a fan of two-player abstract games then you do yourself a disservice by not picking this up. I HIGHLY recommend this game. Edit: It appears this game is out of print. It is still awesome, but dont pay too much for it. There are tons of other great strategy games available. I have heard that this game will get reprinted. So it should be back to a reasonable price be this fall or Christmas time.

Great game. I bought it to play with my girlfriend and she loves it. Changing strategies, complex gameplay but also easy to learn. You can teach someone in five minutes and then play for years.

First game I bought in this game series. Super easy to learn but a great challenge to play. Lots of fun and keeps the mind woking!

Love this game! You can really create your own strategy.