Beginning Arimaa

Arimaa is a modern abstract strategy game with potential to rival the majesty of classics such as chess and Go. In Beginning Arimaa, two-time Arimaa World Champion Fritz Juhnke tackles two questions in alternate chapters: How does one play Arimaa well? And how does one judge that Arimaa is worth playing? The strategy chapters are replete with diagrammed positions to illustrate the fundamental concepts of Arimaa play. Juhnke takes the reader step by step from basic winning configurations, through capture techniques, on to strategies that befuddle even experts. Interspersed are Juhnke's reflections on how one might recognize a classic game in its infancy. Only the test of time can prove a game worthy, but as Juhnke recounts the brief history of Arimaa, a compelling case emerges that something extraordinary is just beginning.