Black Hole (board game)

Black Hole is played on a board of 15 hexagonal cells arranged in a triangular pattern, with each player controlling 7 pieces of their color, plus one neutral piece called the "black hole" that occupies the central cell at the start. The pieces are placed on the 14 outer cells, with the black hole in the center. Players alternate turns, moving one of their pieces to an adjacent empty cell, or jumping over an adjacent piece (either their own or an opponent's) into an empty cell immediately beyond, in a straight line. When a piece jumps over an opponent's piece, that opponent's piece is captured and removed from the board. The black hole is a stationary piece that cannot be moved or captured, but it blocks movement and jumps. The game ends when a player has no legal moves, or when one player has no pieces left; the player with pieces remaining wins. If both players have pieces but neither can move, the game is a draw.¹

Black Hole is a game of perfect information with no randomness, so it can be analyzed combinatorially. The game tree is relatively small compared to chess or checkers, and computer analysis has shown that the first player has a winning strategy, though the game is not trivial. The central black hole piece creates a barrier that splits the board into regions, and controlling the cells adjacent to the black hole is often crucial. Players must balance offense (capturing pieces) with defense (avoiding being captured), and the ability to force jumps is a key tactical element. The game has been studied in the context of combinatorial game theory, and it is known that the game is a win for the first player with perfect play, but the strategy is not obvious to human players.²

Black Hole was published by Parker Brothers in 1978 as part of their line of abstract strategy games. It was designed by Milton Bradley, who is not to be confused with the toy company of the same name; he was an independent game designer. The game received modest commercial success and was praised for its simple rules but deep strategic possibilities. It was re-released in later years by other publishers, and it remains popular among abstract game enthusiasts. The game is often compared to other classic abstract games like Checkers and Othello, but its unique board shape and the black hole piece give it a distinct character.

Black Hole has several lesser-known aspects. The game was originally conceived as a variant of the ancient game of Alquerque, but with a hexagonal board. The black hole piece was inspired by the concept of a gravitational singularity, and the game's name was chosen to evoke the idea of pieces being "sucked in" when captured. The game has a dedicated following in the abstract game community, and it has been featured in the book A Gamut of Games by Sid Sackson, which helped to popularize it among collectors. There is also a lesser-known variant called "Black Hole II" that adds a third player, but it was never officially published. Additionally, the game has been used in educational settings to teach combinatorial game theory and strategic thinking.³

Black hole

The neutral piece in the center of the board that cannot be moved or captured, but blocks movement and jumps.

Jump

A move where a piece moves over an adjacent piece into an empty cell immediately beyond, capturing the jumped piece if it is an opponent's.

Perfect information

A game in which all players have complete knowledge of the game state at all times, with no hidden information or randomness.