The game of the generals' story

GAME OF THE
GENERALs
Presented By: GROUP 2

 also called GG as it is most fondly called, or simply The
Generals, is an educational war games invented in the
Philippines.
 Its Filipino name is "Salpakan
 It can be played within twenty to thirty minutes. It is designed
for two players and requires the use of logic, each controlling
an army, and a neutral arbiter (sometimes called a referee or
an adjutant) to decide the results of "challenges" between
opposing playing pieces.
 simulates armies at war trying to outflank and outmanoeuvre
each other

THE GAME OF
THE GENERALS'
STORY
HISTORY

HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Conceived and born out of two devastating floods, mistaken
as subversive material, frowned upon by the country’s
Chess lords and snubbed by the All- Filipino Sports awards,
the Game of the Generals has quixotically survived.
I invented it August of 1967 in Barrio Palanan, Makati,
while Greater Manila was choking through a big flood.
Stranded with unprogrammed leisure in my hands, I was
deep in the study of Chess having just won a tournament
the week passed when I thought about the game.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN
The idea first floated by and then lingered, longing for action.
Why not something different from Chess? Why not a game
patterned after modern- day combat? Something everybody
could identify with? After all, Chess is of ancient origin-- hardly
relevant to battle tactics of today.
My father chanced into my room as I was cutting out cartolina
soldiers, marking them with ranks of generals, middle officers
and Privates and pushing them around on a Chessboard.“I am
inventing a game,” I said with the proud intonation of one at the
verge of discovery. Quizzically, quietly he left.As I worked onto
the third day, I had sadly succeeded in putting together a mere
variation of Chess. The fourth day was still one of frustration.
With the movements and starting formation I had developed, the
pieces may well have been pawns, rooks and bishops.

TWO DAYS LATER WAS D-DAY
Calling on the systems used in mahjong and card
games, I tried setting up the pieces so that they were
unseen by the enemy. It was drastic departure from
Chess, followed still by another--- this time taking off
from the way generals prefer to fight. This meant
allowing a player the free hand at deploying his
forces, in contrast to the Chess method of forcing a
player to start from one single formation.

THEN CAME THE TEDIOUS PROCESS OF
FINALIZATION
Experimentation . . . try out games with my father . . . flanking
movements . . . guerilla tactics . . . territorial coverages . . . All
these brought in the balance and hierarchy of soldiers, the
number of playing squares on the board and the various ways
of winning games.
Iwo Jima with its victorious marines, provide the heroic angle
for ending a game -- the symbolic raising of the flag signalling
the capture of enemy territory.James Bond and Mata Hari
reminded me to put in a pair of spies with the introduction of
the arbiter between two players securing their cloak-and-
dagger maneuvers.
Finally, the movie “Night of the Generals” wrapped it up
inspiring the dramatic touch needed and people.Thus, the
Game of the Generals was born, conceived from a
smorgasbord of events, principles and people.

THEN CAME THE TEDIOUS PROCESS OF
FINALIZATION
Except for a few friends at Philippine Advertising Counselors where I was
then employed, the game generally hibernated for five years until another
devastating flood, circa 1972, flushed it out.Actually, it was pushed to the
public eye by enterprising journalist Iking Gonzales. He insisted on writing
the story as his contribution to the Times Journal’s maiden issue. It was
with reluctance that I allowed details of the game to be released for fear of
misimpressions, martial law having just been declared the month
before.Nevertheless, with the birth of the Times Journal on October 21,
1972, the country woke up to the Game of the Generals.
Gonzales wrote: “Although the pieces stand for military personages, the
game-- which is a cross between Chess and cards is as thrilling as it is
educational for both young and old. “In Chess you use cold logic. Here in
the new game your move sometimes defies logic. Putting in all the details of
a battle plan on the board sharpens your memory and psychological
insight. The rules of the game can be understood in less time that it takes to
learn Chess.”
“It is safe to say that the kings and his court will have their hands full
against the general and his men in the near future.”

GAME OF THE GENERALS vs CHESS
With the promise of romanticism ala Genghis Khan, Napoleon and Rommel, the Game of
the Generals promptly caught on with Manila’s elite crowd. As quickly as a steamroller
offensive, GG started to outsell Chess immediately after its formal public introduction.
This was February 28, 1973 at First National Community Bank (FNCB), Makati City, with
then Information Secretary Francisco S. Tatad as guest of honor. It was the opening of
the first tournament in GG history.
The secretary , speaking at the FNCB launching of the game predicted: “Millions around
the world will be playing this game, which has the qualities of a Sherlock Holmes
thriller.” Shortly after, the game still relatively unknown outside Greater Manila, was
causing a few trying moments for some provincial folks.
Iloilo spokesman Tony Hechanova, General Manager of Negros Navigation, reported: “It
was funny. I was delayed at the Mactan airport when a companion was detained and
questioned for possession of a Game of the Generals set. With all those military pieces in
a box, the airport security thought we were up to something subversive.”
But with media publishing photos of sports personalities and Philippine beauties at play
and Secretary Tatad endorsing the game: “For those who need an intellectual massage,”
charges of subversion dwindled to isolation as even the guardian of peace and order
began to enjoy the game.

GAME OF THE GENERALS vs CHESS
Perhaps threatened by sudden accident of this local upstart intruding into the world
of thinking sport, even drawing the interest of sponsors and Chess enthusiasts
themselves, the local lord of the Game of Kings mounted his own quiet offensive
against the Game of the Generals.
Big prize-laden Chess tourneys were organized and Grandmasters were imported.
When even the Grandmasters started to show interest in the Generals, the Chess
official clamped down on his writer’s incursions which mainly dealt with giving GG
sets to Grandmasters and getting them to grace GG events and pose for photo
releases.
“I can have you banned from the premisses of this event (the Grandmaster’s tilt at
the Philippine Village Hotel) if you don’t stop promoting your game through my
Grandmasters”, the Chess lord heatedly threatened. There was even a move in the
Philippine Chess Federation to ban its players from joining a GG-Chess tournament,
which fortunately pattered out. Nevertheless, Chess players have reported that they
are still frowned upon for involving themselves with the local game.
To date, the cold war between Chess and the Game of the Generals continues but
has somehow thawed with the quiet diplomacy of Chess organizers.Bloodied but
unbowed from skirmishes against the powerful Chess drive, the Game of the
Generals plods on.

WORLD SERIES EYED
Roads are always long and lonely, crowds sometimes cynical and
callous for those who seek to pioneer. But GG’s volunteers struggle
on, painstakingly carving out a place in the world of sport, staking
this generation’s claim on the game and the country of its birth.
It is a tribute to the fighting heart that the Game of the Generals’
benefactors now include San Miguel Corporation, Marlboro, Paper
Mate Corp., Levi-Strauss Inc., Philippine Refining Co., La Tondeña
Inc., The Ministry of Public Information, The Kabataang Barangay,
and The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
In its three years, three million Filipinos tried the game. It has been
introduced to 33 other countries. It has inspired the formation of
more than 2,500 GG Clubs and, with its success, cause a rash of 28
other new Filipino game inventions.

WORLD SERIES EYED
GG is the only board game to have outsold Chess at local bookstores and
supermarkets. It also hold the distinction of being the most outstanding
invention in the general category of the Inventor’s week competition
organized by the Philippines’ National Science Development Board.
Today, it also holds the distinction of being the only electronic board game
in the world. The invention of the Electronic Arbitek, which replaces the
third person or arbiter in a match, also won the award for the 3rd Most
Outstanding Electronic Invention Of the Year in the 1978 Philippine
Inventor’s Festival. It has been manufactured under license in the United
States and other licensing agreements are still in the works.
It is with a mixed feeling of historical pride and hope that GG pioneers look
back to these achievements. Said one rabid fan: “To have been with it from
the start is priceless. . . we now dream of a World Game of the Generals
Championship series. . .”
(Originally in THE TIMES JOURNAL issue of April 21, 1976)

 This game was invented by Sofronio H. Pasola, Jr. with
the inspiration of his son Ronnie Pasola.
 The Pasolas first tried the Game of the Generals on a
chessboard. Even then, the pieces had no particular
arrangement. There were no spies in the experimental
game; but after Ronnie Pasola remembered the James
Bond movies and Mata Hari, he added the Spies. Making
the pieces hidden was the idea of the Pasolas after
remembering card games.
 The Game of the Generals' public introduction was on
February 28, 1973. After the game was made, it angered
many Filipino chess players thinking that Pasola was trying
to denigrate or supplant chess.

To eliminate/capture the flag of
opponent.
To manoeuvre own flag to the other
end of the board where it lands to a
space with no enemy piece/s beside
it.

 The Flag, if challenged, is eliminated by any opposing piece,
including the opposing and challenging Flag. If a player's Flag is
eliminated by a challenge, that player loses the game. The Flag
that challenges the opponent's Flag wins the challenge and thus
also wins the game.
 When the Flag successfully reaches the opponent's back rank, it
has to survive one more turn without being challenged before it
can declare a victory. If a Flag reaches the opposing back rank
and there is no adjacent opposing piece that can challenge it, the
Flag wins the game immediately. If a Flag reaches the opposing
back rank directly adjacent to an opposing piece, and that piece
does not challenge the Flag immediately on the opponent's
subsequent turn, then that Flag wins the game. Any player may
reveal his Flag at any time and for any reason; play can then
continue; most often, a player reveals his Flag after it has already
secured victory at the opposing back rank.

 Most games end in a victory for one of the players. One
player may have lost so many pieces or his pieces are
impractically positioned on the board that he feels he can
no longer win the game so he decides to resign. However,
any player may propose a draw at any time; the opponent
can either decline, so play continues, or agree, and thus
the game ends in a tie.
 At the end of a match, whether as a draw or as a victory
for one player, it is courteous but not required to allow
the opposing player a view of the surviving pieces before
they are taken off the board, as well as of the eliminated
pieces.

 GAME BOARD
9 x 8 squares
Shaded squares are the allotted for the pieces
in their initial positions.

 PIECES
21 pieces /soldiers (combatants)

 Spy
Can eliminate all pieces except privates
 Flag
Can eliminate challenged flag
 Other pieces
Can eliminate other lower ranked pieces

THE PIECES
The player's set of pieces or soldiers
with the corresponding ranks and
functions consists of the following 21
pieces:

Pieces
No. of
Pieces
Function
General of the Army (Five
Stars)
1 Eliminates any lower-ranking officer, the Private, and the Flag.
General (Four Stars) 1 Eliminates any lower-ranking officer, the Private, and the Flag.
Lieutenant General (Three
Stars)
Major General (Two Stars) 1 Eliminates any lower-ranking officer, the Private, and the Flag.
Brigadier General (One Star) 1 Eliminates any lower-ranking officer, the Private, and the Flag.
Colonel (Three Magdalo 7-Ray
Suns)

Lieutenant Colonel (Two Magdalo
7-Ray Suns)
Major (One Magdalo 7-Ray Sun) 1 Eliminates any lower-ranking officer, the Private, and the Flag.
Captain (Three Magdalo Triangles) 1 Eliminates any lower-ranking officer, the Private, and the Flag.
1st Lieutenant (Two Magdalo
Triangles)
2nd Lieutenant (One Magdalo
Triangle)
1 Eliminates the Sergeant, the Private, and the Flag.
Sergeant (Three Chevrons) 1 Eliminates the Private, and the Flag.
Private (One Chevron) 6 Eliminates the Spy, and the Flag.
Spy (Two Prying Eyes) 2
Eliminates all officers from the rank of Sergeant up to 5-Star General and
the Flag.
Flag (Philippine Flag) 1
Eliminates the opposing Flag as long as it takes the aggressive action against
the enemy Flag.

PREPARING FOR BATTLE:
 Spread out the board as illustrated in Figure A.
Arrange your respective sets of pieces on the first
three (3) rows on your end of the board with the
printed sides facing you. (See Figure A). There is no
predetermined place for any piece. You are therefore
free to arrange the pieces according to your strategy
of style of play. Note that as you arrange your pieces
on the first three (3) rows, you will find six (6) vacant
squares. This is to allow for maneuvering and
freedom of movement when play begins.

MOVEMENT:
1. Any player makes the first move. Players
move alternately.
2. A player is allowed to move only one piece
at a time.
3. A move consists of pushing a piece to an
adjacent square, either forward, backward or
sideward. A diagonal move or a move of
more than one square is illegal.
(See Figure B)

 Pieces are not required to be placed in a definite
pattern:
Players place their pieces according to their
strategy
But, players are only allowed to place their pieces
on the first 3 rows of their side of the board
Pieces should face their owners so it can’t be seen
by the opponent
 Players decide who goes first then they take turns
alternately
RULES

 Neutral third person
 Act as judge in the challenges
 looking at the pieces
applying piece ranks
eliminating the weaker piece and takes it
out of the board
ARBITER

 When a piece is placed on top of the other
so that they are in the same square (since
only one piece can fit in the square)
 Higher rank wins
 If pieces are of the same rank, they both
lose
 If Flag-flag challenge, the challenger wins
CHALLENGING

CHALLENGING:
1. As the game progresses, challenges are made resulting in the
elimination of soldiers. A "challenge" is made when a soldier
moves into the same square occupied by an opposing soldier.
When a challenge is made the following rules of elimination
apply:
a. A higher ranked soldier eliminates from the board a lower
ranked soldiers.
b. If both soldiers are of equal, both are eliminated.
c. A spy eliminates any officer starting with the rank of 5-star
General down to the Sergeant.
d. The Flag can be eliminated or captured by any piece including
the opponent's Flag.
e. Only a Private can eliminate the Spy.
f. The Flag that moves into the same square occupied by the
other Flag wins the game.

CHALLENGING:
2. For maximum interest and suspense, a natural party
(arbiter) is present to preside over a challenge for both
players. As arbiter, he is not allowed to reveal to either player
the ranks of any piece whether engaged in challenges or not.
In case of a challenge, the arbiter quietly removes the
outranked piece and gives it back to the player who has lost it.
Care must be made that the eliminated piece is not shown to
the opponent. (Note: Official tournament games are
conducted with an arbiter.)
3. When playing without an arbiter, every time there is a
challenge both players must declare the ranks of the two
opposing pieces concerned, after which, the outranked player
removes his piece from the Board.

Determining the results of a challenge
Regardless of which piece initiated the challenge, their
ranks determine which piece is to be removed from the
board.
 Any one of the player's pieces can capture the
opposing Flag. This includes the player's own Flag.
 Any piece eliminates the Private except the Spy and
the Flag.
 Officers eliminate other officers that are lower in
rank (e.g. a Four-Star General eliminates a
Lieutenant Colonel).
 A Spy eliminates all officers (including the Five-Star
General). Only the Private can eliminate the Spy.

Determining the results of a challenge
 If both pieces are of the same rank, both are
removed from the board (often called a "split" by
most players and arbiters).
 If a Flag challenges the opponent's Flag, the
challenging Flag prevails and wins the game.
If a Flag reaches the opposite end or farthest
rank of the board, the opponent has one turn left
although it is not announced. After the turn, the
player reveals the Flag. If the Flag was not
challenged, the player wins the game. If it was
challenged, the player loses.

 Killers - The two Spies and the two most powerful Generals (Five-
Star and Four-Star Generals) have the critical job of eliminating the
enemy Sweepers and all other pieces, either by aggressive
challenging or ambush, to gain a power-level, numerical, or
positional advantage against the opponent.
 Sweepers - The next most-powerful officers (Three-Star General
down to the Lieutenant Colonel) will take over the Killer function if
the Five-Star and Four-Star Generals are eliminated. Their main job
is to remove all lower-ranking enemy officers as well as acquire and
retain a numerical or positional advantage of friendly pieces over
the enemy.
 Probers - These are sacrificial junior officers from the Major
down to the Sergeant. Their job is to challenge untested enemy
pieces and determine their power so they can either be avoided,
ambushed, or targeted for elimination by the Killers or Privates. By
eliminating Privates, Probers often act as bodyguards to the Spies
and the Flag.

 Privates - Their main job is to eliminate the Spies (in the
opening and middle game) and the Flag (in the end game). They
usually accompany the highest-ranking officers in order to
eliminate the Spy that targets the officers. While they can be
considered sacrificial, once there are only one or two Privates
left, it becomes very difficult to eliminate the Spies.
 Flag - This is the only piece that can win victory and must be
hidden and protected at all costs, except when it has an
unobstructed way to the far edge of the board, then it can go for
broke. Often, a Private or low-ranking officer is made to act like a
scared Flag to deceive the opponent. Sometimes a Flag can try
move as if it was a mid-level or low-ranking officer, or a Private,
to avoid being challenged by another piece.
The roles of the Sweepers and Probers can be interchanged
in a variety of ways, depending on the preference of the player.

 Blitzkrieg - Amass powerful pieces on one side of the board
(left or right), then try to steamroller and blow a hole through the
enemy lines by eliminating all the defenders. Once the way is
clear, send the Flag forward with an escort and march on to
victory. A Blitz through the center is rare because it requires
lining both sides of the corridor with powerful pieces to eliminate
possible blockers of your Flag.
 Distributed Defense - Spread out the powerful pieces with
supporting units to probe and ambush the enemy Killer pieces.
Maneuver your pieces to rearrange them as blocking forces and
to deceive the opponent as to which are powerful or sacrificial.
Put lower-ranking generals in the rear areas to take over the
defense or bring them forward to assist in the counterattack.

 Clustered Task Forces - Group a high-ranking general, a Spy, two
Privates, and two to three officers into a “combined arms" task force
whose job is to eliminate enemy pieces in one area and to reduce his
numbers. Switch the attack or defensive maneuvers from one side of
the board to the other as needed to divert the opponent's attention and
make him become confused about the identity of your powerful pieces.
Use expert maneuvering to isolate the enemy Flag and eliminate it.
 Rampaging Bulls - Send unsupported generals into the enemy lines
to eliminate as many opposing pieces and try to put them in the enemy
rear areas to create havoc and disrupt the enemy's plans and
composure. Use them to force the enemy to move his Spies or to
weaken his front lines so your other high-ranking pieces can make their
own rampage. Spaces within the ranks must also be allocated to
provide maneuver room for certain pieces. Beginners often put these
vacant spaces on the rearmost rank (because they don't think these are
important) whereas an experienced player sometimes use this
arrangement to deceive the opponent into thinking he is a beginner.

 Divide and Conquer - Troops are generally divided into three groups.
One group consists of high-ranking units while the other two flank the
enemy troops. While flanking the enemy troops, blitzkrieg the strong group
to make a path for the flag. This strategy is very effective if the opposing
player uses the Distributed Defense strategy.
 Vaccination Technique - This is a variation of the Blitzkrieg strategy. A
disadvantage of the Blitzkrieg is that when you advance your strongest
troops, you leave your side poorly defended. The Vaccination Technique
strategy consists of a mini-Blitzkrieg using a three star general, Lt. colonel,
Spy, two star general, and a sergeant or any "give-away" unit. These five
units form a vaccine-like shape (a cross). The remaining troops are divided
into two groups and are at the sides of the cross. Diagonally placed privates
in each group can defend and support to kill spies while your four and five
star generals are reserved in the middle of the groups. The advantage of this
strategy over Blitzkrieg is that in the Vaccination Technique, you have a
small force enough to wipe the front line of the enemy while also having a
strong force in case that the enemy decides an offensive strategy. This
works against most of the other strategies but it can be easily defeated by
the Random Forces Placement strategy. This is a hybrid offensive-defensive
strategy.

 Box Strategy - This strategy is mostly used by amateurs. It consists of powerful
units in the front line forming a shield and weaker units at the side and rear line.
Advancing the whole front line as a "lawnmower" to eliminate most of the enemy.
This is not very effective if you immediately lose your front line. If your front line is
down, the only troops left are the weak ones.
 Mothership - Troops are formed like a shape of an alien mothership or a UFO and
spies and generals in the middle lane. Two spies are placed like the missiles on the
mothership. Generals are in the middle lane for defense. Flag is placed in the center
for maximum defense. This is a very good strategy against offensive players, but it is
not good if the opposing player plays smart. The Mothership can be defeated by
advancing the spies to eliminate the generals, then advancing a blitzkrieg of privates
to corner the spies. After defeating most of the troops in the front line of the
Mothership, advance more troops and lock on the center to corner the flag. Since
the flag is in the center, its' moves are limited and can be cornered immediately.
This is a defensive strategy.
 Note: All strategies have their pro's and con's, but you can always win by deceiving
the enemy. Learn the Art of Deception, and you can win almost every game with any
strategy.

 Concentrating high-ranked officials in one
side of the board
Usually spies and generals are
positioned around the flag to protect it
while charging through the opponent’s
pieces
Goal is to successfully bring the flag to
the other side of the board

HOW THE GAME ENDS:
1. The game ends:
a. When the Flag is eliminated or captured.
b. Whe a Flag reaches the opposite end of the board.
c. When a player resigns.
d. When both players agree on a drawn position.
2. A Flag reaching the opposite end of the board may
still be eliminated by an opposing piece occupying a
square adjacent to the one reached by the Flag. In
order to win, the Flag should at least be two square
or two ahead of any opposing piece.

Group 2 Members:
 Ronabio, Jobert D.
 Bueno, Richelle Mae N.
 Cristobal, Chynna
 Parone, Ronel Alison O.
 Bacares, Rommel F.
 Tayangona, Shaina C.
 Labayo, Janila P.
 Cea, Maria M.

The game of the generals' story

The game of the generals' story

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