Draft-dice window
Draft from a shared roll and fit unequal neighbours into a personal number window.
Logic & rule checking
- Players
- 2 players
- Time
- 15–25 minutes
- Materials
- Four standard dice, two 2×3 grids and pencils.
Prepare
Two players each draw a two-row, three-column window. Every cell begins empty. Use four ordinary six-sided dice, rolled into a public pool once per round. Agree a first picker and keep scores on paper. A written dice roll can replace dice: the host may prepare three four-number rows, each number between one and six, before play.
Play
Across three rounds, alternate taking one unused die from the public pool. Each player gets two choices per round. Write its value into an empty personal cell. The first placement is anywhere; every later placement must share a side with a previously filled cell. Its value must differ from every filled side-neighbour. Diagonal neighbours do not restrict a placement.
Worked example
In the first public pool 1,2,3,4, white may take 1 into the upper-left cell and black take 2 anywhere on black’s grid. White may then take 3 beside the 1, and black takes 4. White could not put another 1 next to its existing 1. A chosen die that has no legal cell is crossed off as unused; do not change an earlier entry to fit it.
Finish and check
Swap the first picker between rounds and reroll only when all four dice have been selected. After three pools each person has selected six dice, including any that could not be placed. Score one point for each filled cell plus two points for each fully filled row containing three different numbers. Highest score wins; equal scores draw. No extra points come from columns or the sum of values.
Adaptation and limits
Use large written numbers instead of colour or small counters. A partner can audit neighbours before a mark is committed. One completed row such as 1,3,2 earns three cell points and a two-point row bonus. This small scoring system is a manual placement game, not a promise that every pool can fill both windows.
Purpose, observation and provenance
Within this activity: Draft from a shared roll and fit unequal neighbours into a personal number window.
Name a legal action, record the changed state and explain the check. One session does not measure lasting ability.
Our rules, examples and printable diagrams are separately prepared. The earliest inventor of the broader mechanism is not established here.
Free alternative: Copy the supplied grids, labels and cards onto reused paper. No specialist product is needed. Adults may prepare pieces or act as a scribe.
Printable materials
Preview at 100% scale, with browser headers and footers off. Cut with suitable help. Keep host keys separate. This is a manual tabletop kit, not an online opponent, automatic judge or solver.
Rules to keep beside the materials
- Two players each draw a two-row, three-column window. Every cell begins empty. Use four ordinary six-sided dice, rolled into a public pool once per round. Agree a first picker and keep scores on paper. A written dice roll can replace dice: the host may prepare three four-number rows, each number between one and six, before play.
- Across three rounds, alternate taking one unused die from the public pool. Each player gets two choices per round. Write its value into an empty personal cell. The first placement is anywhere; every later placement must share a side with a previously filled cell. Its value must differ from every filled side-neighbour. Diagonal neighbours do not restrict a placement.
- In the first public pool 1,2,3,4, white may take 1 into the upper-left cell and black take 2 anywhere on black’s grid. White may then take 3 beside the 1, and black takes 4. White could not put another 1 next to its existing 1. A chosen die that has no legal cell is crossed off as unused; do not change an earlier entry to fit it.
- Swap the first picker between rounds and reroll only when all four dice have been selected. After three pools each person has selected six dice, including any that could not be placed. Score one point for each filled cell plus two points for each fully filled row containing three different numbers. Highest score wins; equal scores draw. No extra points come from columns or the sum of values.
- Use large written numbers instead of colour or small counters. A partner can audit neighbours before a mark is committed. One completed row such as 1,3,2 earns three cell points and a two-point row bonus. This small scoring system is a manual placement game, not a promise that every pool can fill both windows.
Draft-dice window — play materials
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White top | |||
| White bottom | |||
| Black top | |||
| Black bottom |
| Pool | D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | ||||
| 3 |
| Player | Filled cells | Complete distinct rows | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
Host check — keep private until finished
A complete valid row 1,3,2 scores 5. Side-adjacent equal values are illegal; diagonal equals are allowed. Six selected dice per player is the stop condition.
These are model answers or legal examples, not records of an experiment or learner outcomes.
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