Ricochet stop route
Plan stops as well as directions using a second movable piece.
Shape & spatial thinking
- Players
- 1–4 cooperatively
- Time
- 15–25 minutes
- Materials
- 5×5 board, one runner, one movable blocker, pencil.
Prepare
Place the runner at A1, blocker at C3, and target at C5 on an otherwise empty 5×5 board. In a move choose either token and one orthogonal direction. Slide it until the next step would leave the board or hit the other token; it stops just before that obstruction.
Play
You cannot stop early, jump, turn mid-slide or overlap tokens. A choice with zero movement is not counted as a move and does not change the board. Write a proposed sequence before moving, then use the tokens to check it. Only the runner, not the blocker, may complete the target.
Worked example
Move blocker C3→C1, blocker C1→B1, runner A1→A5, runner A5→E5, blocker B1→B5, runner E5→C5. The runner now stops on the target because B5 is occupied. Passing over C5 during an uninterrupted slide would not complete it.
Finish and check
The team succeeds on a legal stop at C5. Compare valid routes by move count only after completing one. The supplied six-move route is an example, not a proved minimum. Reset both tokens to the printed start before another attempt and stop after three attempts.
Adaptation and limits
For multiple teams copy one board per team, not one shared moving state. Keep coordinates readable and allow a player to dictate moves. No timer is required. The reference explains stop-at-obstacle movement; our tiny board, token count and puzzle are independent.
Purpose, observation and provenance
Within this activity: Plan stops as well as directions using a second movable piece.
Ask why a runner cannot voluntarily stop on a target it passes over.
Our rules, examples and printable diagrams are separately prepared. The earliest inventor of the broader mechanism is not established here.
Rio Grande Games — Ricochet Robots rules — Stop-at-obstacle mechanism reference; no copied board, artwork or commercial puzzle.
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.
Player materials · Ricochet stop route
Start runner A1 / blocker C3 / target C5.
Move / selected token / direction / stopping cell: ______.
Player record · keep the host key separate
| Move | Token | Direction | Stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
Host key · separate from players
Six-move route in rules is legal; final blocker B5 stops runner at C5. No minimum claim.
Run the round
Place the runner at A1, blocker at C3, and target at C5 on an otherwise empty 5×5 board. In a move choose either token and one orthogonal direction. Slide it until the next step would leave the board or hit the other token; it stops just before that obstruction.
You cannot stop early, jump, turn mid-slide or overlap tokens. A choice with zero movement is not counted as a move and does not change the board. Write a proposed sequence before moving, then use the tokens to check it. Only the runner, not the blocker, may complete the target.
Move blocker C3→C1, blocker C1→B1, runner A1→A5, runner A5→E5, blocker B1→B5, runner E5→C5. The runner now stops on the target because B5 is occupied. Passing over C5 during an uninterrupted slide would not complete it.
The team succeeds on a legal stop at C5. Compare valid routes by move count only after completing one. The supplied six-move route is an example, not a proved minimum. Reset both tokens to the printed start before another attempt and stop after three attempts.
For multiple teams copy one board per team, not one shared moving state. Keep coordinates readable and allow a player to dictate moves. No timer is required. The reference explains stop-at-obstacle movement; our tiny board, token count and puzzle are independent.
Related activities
Activity library · Robot route program: rules and printable materials