Is this the same game as Quoridor?

It follows the documented Quoridor-style rules: a nine-by-nine board, one pawn and ten two-square walls per player, and a race to the far edge. Pawn Path Game is an original implementation with its own name, code and drawings, and it is not affiliated with the publisher of Quoridor.

How do jumps work when the two pawns meet?

When the other pawn is on the square next to yours, with no wall between you, you may jump straight over it if the square behind it is open. If a wall or the board edge is behind it, you may instead step diagonally to either side of it, as long as no wall is in that way. The Jump and Blocked jump practice positions show both: from e4 with the other pawn on e5, the legal moves are d4, e3, e6 and f4; with a wall above e5 they become d4, d5, e3, f4 and f5.

Why was my wall refused?

A wall may not overlap another wall, cross one through its middle, or leave either pawn with no route at all to its goal edge. The page checks both routes with a breadth-first search before the wall is placed, and the message says which rule the wall broke. Walls may touch end to end or meet in a T, and you need a wall left: each player starts with ten. A refused wall changes nothing, so the turn and both wall counts stay as they were.

How strong is the computer?

It is a beginner. It takes a winning move when it has one. Otherwise it compares its legal pawn moves by how much they shorten its own route and, when your route is no longer than its own, each wall by how much more it lengthens your route than its own, with walls counting for much more when you are one step from winning. It plays the best of those, picking at random between equal choices. That is one move of lookahead over at most 133 actions, so it answers after a pause of about half a second and misses longer plans. It has no rating and makes no claim to perfect play.

How does a game end, and can it be a draw?

The first pawn to reach any square on the far edge wins: rank 9 for Light, rank 1 for Dark. By this page's own convention, a game is also a draw when the same position, with the same player to move, occurs three times, or when 500 plies, single pawn moves or walls, pass with no winner. The Draw watch below the board counts both.

How are the walls named?

By the square at their lower left and a direction. d1h is a horizontal wall above d1 and e1, between ranks 1 and 2; d1v is a vertical wall to the right of d1 and d2, between files d and e. Names run from a1 to h8 because every wall covers two squares. You can type a wall name, such as d4h, into the move box instead of aiming it on the board.

Can I play with a keyboard or on a phone?

Yes. Tab to the board and use the arrow keys to move between squares; Enter or Space moves your pawn there. In wall mode, Enter or Space aims a wall at that square and a second press places it, and Escape clears the aim. Every legal pawn move is also listed as a button, 44 pixels tall on narrow screens, and you can type a move such as e2 or a wall such as d4h.

Is my game saved, and can I take a move back?

Once you play, the game, your opponent choice, your side and the hint setting are saved in this browser and come back when you return. Save position keeps one extra copy that Load saved position brings back. Undo takes back one ply between two players; against the computer it takes back the computer's reply and your move, or, if the computer is still thinking, cancels its move and takes back yours. Copy record and Download record give the full move list as text.

Pawn Path Game

Race your pawn from one edge of a nine-by-nine board to the other while you and your opponent place walls to lengthen each other's route. Each player has ten walls, each two squares long. Play a friend on the same device, or take Light or Dark against a beginner computer. Every legal pawn move is marked on the board and listed as a button, including a straight jump over the other pawn and the diagonal side-steps allowed when a wall or the board edge blocks that jump. When you aim a wall, the page shows the route lengths it would leave both pawns, and it refuses any wall that overlaps or crosses another or leaves either pawn with no way to its goal edge. A dashed path hint traces the shortest route for the side to move. There is Undo, a full move record you can copy or download, four practice positions and a Save position slot, and the game is saved in this browser once you play. Your moves are not sent anywhere.

Opponent

You play

Hints

Light to move0 of 500 plies

Loading the board and any saved game.

Action

Moves you can play

the game saves in this browser once you play

boardpath hints on

Light (white) races to rank 9; Dark (black) races to rank 1Light walls 10Dark walls 10

Text equivalent: Light pawn on e1, 8 steps from rank 9. Dark pawn on e9, 8 steps from rank 1. No walls. Walls left: Light 10, Dark 10. Light to move. Shortest route for Light: e1, e2, e3, e4, e5, e6, e7, e8, e9.

Arrow keys move between squares. Enter or Space moves the pawn to that square, or in wall mode aims a wall there and places it on a second press; Escape clears the aim.

Light route: 8 steps to rank 9

Dark route: 8 steps to rank 1

Walls left: Light 10, Dark 10

To move: Light (you)

Draw watch: 0 of 500 plies; this position seen 1 of 3 times

Move record

No moves yet. Squares are pawn moves; names ending in h or v are walls.

Practice positions

Each loads as a practice game with its own record. Against the computer, you take the side to move. The legal moves shown are worked out by the same rules as the board.

Openingno walls, pawns on e1 and e9
routes: Light 8, Dark 8 steps; Light can move to d1, e2, f1
Wall detoura wall above rank 1 across files d and e
routes: Light 9, Dark 9 steps; Light can move to d1, f1
JumpLight on e4, Dark on e5, no walls
routes: Light 5, Dark 4 steps; Light can move to d4, e3, e6, f4
Blocked jumpthe same, with a wall above e5 across files e and f
routes: Light 6, Dark 4 steps; Light can move to d4, d5, e3, f4, f5

Draws on this page: the same position with the same player to move three times, or 500 plies with no winner. Route lengths ignore the pawns, the way wall placement is checked.

Common questions

Is this the same game as Quoridor?: It follows the documented Quoridor-style rules: a nine-by-nine board, one pawn and ten two-square walls per player, and a race to the far edge. Pawn Path Game is an original implementation with its own name, code and drawings, and it is not affiliated with the publisher of Quoridor.
How do jumps work when the two pawns meet?: When the other pawn is on the square next to yours, with no wall between you, you may jump straight over it if the square behind it is open. If a wall or the board edge is behind it, you may instead step diagonally to either side of it, as long as no wall is in that way. The Jump and Blocked jump practice positions show both: from e4 with the other pawn on e5, the legal moves are d4, e3, e6 and f4; with a wall above e5 they become d4, d5, e3, f4 and f5.
Why was my wall refused?: A wall may not overlap another wall, cross one through its middle, or leave either pawn with no route at all to its goal edge. The page checks both routes with a breadth-first search before the wall is placed, and the message says which rule the wall broke. Walls may touch end to end or meet in a T, and you need a wall left: each player starts with ten. A refused wall changes nothing, so the turn and both wall counts stay as they were.
How strong is the computer?: It is a beginner. It takes a winning move when it has one. Otherwise it compares its legal pawn moves by how much they shorten its own route and, when your route is no longer than its own, each wall by how much more it lengthens your route than its own, with walls counting for much more when you are one step from winning. It plays the best of those, picking at random between equal choices. That is one move of lookahead over at most 133 actions, so it answers after a pause of about half a second and misses longer plans. It has no rating and makes no claim to perfect play.
How does a game end, and can it be a draw?: The first pawn to reach any square on the far edge wins: rank 9 for Light, rank 1 for Dark. By this page's own convention, a game is also a draw when the same position, with the same player to move, occurs three times, or when 500 plies, single pawn moves or walls, pass with no winner. The Draw watch below the board counts both.
How are the walls named?: By the square at their lower left and a direction. d1h is a horizontal wall above d1 and e1, between ranks 1 and 2; d1v is a vertical wall to the right of d1 and d2, between files d and e. Names run from a1 to h8 because every wall covers two squares. You can type a wall name, such as d4h, into the move box instead of aiming it on the board.
Can I play with a keyboard or on a phone?: Yes. Tab to the board and use the arrow keys to move between squares; Enter or Space moves your pawn there. In wall mode, Enter or Space aims a wall at that square and a second press places it, and Escape clears the aim. Every legal pawn move is also listed as a button, 44 pixels tall on narrow screens, and you can type a move such as e2 or a wall such as d4h.
Is my game saved, and can I take a move back?: Once you play, the game, your opponent choice, your side and the hint setting are saved in this browser and come back when you return. Save position keeps one extra copy that Load saved position brings back. Undo takes back one ply between two players; against the computer it takes back the computer's reply and your move, or, if the computer is still thinking, cancels its move and takes back yours. Copy record and Download record give the full move list as text.

Moves follow Quoridor-style rules: one orthogonal step, a straight jump over an adjacent pawn when no wall or board edge is behind it, otherwise a diagonal side-step beside it where no wall is in the way; a wall may not overlap or cross another or leave either pawn with no route to its goal edge. A draw after threefold repetition or 500 plies is this page's own rule. The computer is a beginner that looks one move ahead and has no rating.