Hijara
Encyclopedia
Hijara is a singular two-player abstract strategy board game
played with small stones. It has been likened to a three-dimensional
game on a two-dimensional
board.
The game was designed by Martin H. Samuel and first printed, as Excel, by American Airlines
in their inflight magazine
, American Way, on December 24, 1985 and July 22, 1986.
It was originally published as a board game, Eclipse, in 1994 by Games Above Board.
Great American Trading Company, of York, Pennsylvania
, USA, licensed the game for production in 1995 and the name was changed to hijara, the Arabic
word for small stones.
Sunnywood, Inc. of Hong Kong
licensed the game and also published it as Hijara by Sterling Games in 2003.
Giseh Verlag launched the game in Germany
at Essen Spiel in 2006.
Hijara has been pirated and programmed
for Adobe Flash
by a Russia
n company and also as an Android app by a student, as instructed by Hasselt University
, Belgium
.
Hijara II is a 50-page note pad travel version played with a blue and a yellow pen.
" on either end.
Players choose either yellow or blue and use 32 same-color stones plus one score-keeper each. Blue starts and players take turns placing their stones, one at a time, on any square, building on those already on the board, to complete and/or block point-scoring combinations.
Squares may be filled at random, depending on strategy - however, stones must be placed on the numbers, in any of the numbered squares, in numerical order - i.e. on the lowest-numbered open section in that square. So for every square, the first small stone must be placed on the 1, second on the 2, etc.
The game starts with an empty board, and ends with a full board with 3 ways to score points when placement of four same-color stones is completed in any of the following combinations:
Points are won with a player's own-color stones and are always accrued, never deducted. Several point-scoring combinations may be completed at one time with a single stone. Overlooked points are forfeited and, throughout the game, players keep score on their side of the board with an extra stone of their color.
The game is over when the last small stone is placed and all the numbers are covered then, by comparing accrued points totals, the player with the most points is the winner of the game.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
played with small stones. It has been likened to a three-dimensional
Three-dimensional space
Three-dimensional space is a geometric 3-parameters model of the physical universe in which we live. These three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth , although any three directions can be chosen, provided that they do not lie in the same plane.In physics and mathematics, a...
game on a two-dimensional
Dimension
In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a space or object is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus a line has a dimension of one because only one coordinate is needed to specify a point on it...
board.
The game was designed by Martin H. Samuel and first printed, as Excel, by American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
in their inflight magazine
Inflight magazine
An Inflight magazine is a free magazine distributed via the seats of an airplane by an airline company.The first inflight magazine was that of Pan American World Airways; now most airlines are distributing magazines...
, American Way, on December 24, 1985 and July 22, 1986.
It was originally published as a board game, Eclipse, in 1994 by Games Above Board.
Great American Trading Company, of York, Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
, USA, licensed the game for production in 1995 and the name was changed to hijara, the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
word for small stones.
Sunnywood, Inc. of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
licensed the game and also published it as Hijara by Sterling Games in 2003.
Giseh Verlag launched the game in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
at Essen Spiel in 2006.
Hijara has been pirated and programmed
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
for Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
by a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n company and also as an Android app by a student, as instructed by Hasselt University
Hasselt University
Hasselt University is a university with campuses in Hasselt and Diepenbeek, Belgium. It was founded in 1971, as the Limburgs Universitair Centrum...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Hijara II is a 50-page note pad travel version played with a blue and a yellow pen.
Components
- Numbered game board
- 35 yellow sun and 35 blue moon small glass stones (extra stones are provided for each player)
- VelourVelourVelour or velours is a plush, knitted fabric or textile. It is usually made from cotton but can also be made from synthetic materials such as polyester. Velour is used in a wide variety of applications, including clothing and upholstery....
pouch - Instructions
Objective
The goal of the game is, to score the most points by placing your small stones on the board - building and/or blocking point-scoring combinations.Gameplay
The Hijara game board has 16 squares, divided into 4 squares numbered 1 through 4 and a score-keeping "ladderGame ladder
A ladder tournament is a form of tournament for games and sports. It is an extended tournament, which can potentially go on indefinitely. In a ladder tournament, players are listed as if on the rungs of a ladder. The objective for a player is to reach the highest rung of the ladder...
" on either end.
Players choose either yellow or blue and use 32 same-color stones plus one score-keeper each. Blue starts and players take turns placing their stones, one at a time, on any square, building on those already on the board, to complete and/or block point-scoring combinations.
Squares may be filled at random, depending on strategy - however, stones must be placed on the numbers, in any of the numbered squares, in numerical order - i.e. on the lowest-numbered open section in that square. So for every square, the first small stone must be placed on the 1, second on the 2, etc.
The game starts with an empty board, and ends with a full board with 3 ways to score points when placement of four same-color stones is completed in any of the following combinations:
- 10 points - 4 stones of the same color on 4 numbers of a kind in a row - horizontallyHorizontal planeIn geometry, physics, astronomy, geography, and related sciences, a plane is said to be horizontal at a given point if it is perpendicular to the gradient of the gravity field at that point— in other words, if apparent gravity makes a plumb bob hang perpendicular to the plane at that point.In...
, verticallyVertical directionIn astronomy, geography, geometry and related sciences and contexts, a direction passing by a given point is said to be vertical if it is locally aligned with the gradient of the gravity field, i.e., with the direction of the gravitational force at that point...
, or diagonalDiagonalA diagonal is a line joining two nonconsecutive vertices of a polygon or polyhedron. Informally, any sloping line is called diagonal. The word "diagonal" derives from the Greek διαγώνιος , from dia- and gonia ; it was used by both Strabo and Euclid to refer to a line connecting two vertices of a...
ly. - 15 points - 4 stones of the same color in numerical sequence (i.e. 1-2-3-4) - horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
- 20 points - 4 stones of the same color in one square.
Points are won with a player's own-color stones and are always accrued, never deducted. Several point-scoring combinations may be completed at one time with a single stone. Overlooked points are forfeited and, throughout the game, players keep score on their side of the board with an extra stone of their color.
The game is over when the last small stone is placed and all the numbers are covered then, by comparing accrued points totals, the player with the most points is the winner of the game.
Awards
- Games Magazine 1995 Buyers Guide To Games - USA
- Games Magazine 1996 Top 100 - USA
- Spiel Gut 2006 Recommendation - Germany