LESSON 1

GAME OF THE GENERALS

INDIVIDUAL AND DUAL SPORTS

Game of the Generals “Salpakan”
The game of Generals, also called “SALPAKAN” as it is
most fondly called, or simply The Generals, is an
educational wargame invented in the Philippines in 1970. It
is designed for two players, each controlling an army and
neutral arbiter or an adjutant. It needs the use of logic. The PIECES
game simulates armies at war trying to outflank and 5 STAR GENERAL
outmaneuver each other. As in actual warfare, the game
allows only one side’s plan to succeed, therefore relying
primarily on tactics and probability.

HISTORY OF THE GAME Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag.
 This game was invented by Sofronio H. Pasola, Jr.
with the inspiration of his son Ronnie Pasola. 4 STAR GENERAL
 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 Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag.
Hari, he added the Spies-making the pieces hidden
was the idea of the Pasolas after remembering card 3 STAR GENERAL
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
Pasolas was trying to denigrate or supplant chess. Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag.
 Chess, logics, tactics, probability
 Made in Philippines 2 STAR GENERAL
 Made by two players
 The first salpakan was first plyed in chess board

OBJECT OF THE GAME

 To eliminate/capture the flag of the opponent.
 To manoeuver own flag to the other end of the Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag.
board where it lands in a space with no enemy
piece/s beside it. 1 STAR GENERAL
 STRATEGY – use of ideas, thinking skills on how
you play the game
 TACTICS – your doings on how you do the game
Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag.

COLONEL
EQUIPMENT
Game Board
 9x8 Squares
 9 columns and 8 rows
 Shaded squares are allotted for the pieces in their Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag.
initial positions.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL
Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag. The flag can be eliminated by any piece including the
opposing flag; a flag eliminates the opposing flag when it
MAJOR takes aggressive action by moving into the same square
occupied by the other flag.
THE PIECES
The player’s set of pieces or soldiers with the corresponding
ranks and functions consists of the following 21 pieces:
Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag.

CAPTAIN

Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag.

1ST LIEUTENANT

Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag.

2ND LIEUTENANT

Eliminates any lower ranking officer, the private & the flag.

SERGEANT

Eliminates the private & the flag. HOW TO PLAY?

How to Prepare the Game
SPY

Eliminates all officers (from the rank of Sergeant up to the

five (5) Star Generals & the flag.

PRIVATE

MOVEMENT

Eliminates the spy & the flag.

FLAG
 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
1. Any player makes the first move. Players move opposing pieces concerned, after which, the outranked
alternately. player removes his piece from the Board.
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)
GAME PLAY
Pieces are not required to be placed in a definite pattern:
 Players place their pieces according to their strategy COMBAT ROLES & STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
 But, Players are not allowed to place their pieces on COMBATANT ROLES OF THE PIECES
the first 3 rows of their side of the board The playing pieces can be classified according to the
 Pieces should face their owners so they can’t be following tactical functions and roles:
seen by the opponents
Players Decide who goes first then they take turns Killers - The two Spies and the two most powerful Generals
alternately. (Five-Star and Four-Star Generals) have the critical job of
ARBITER eliminating the enemy Sweepers and all other pieces, either
 Neutral third person by aggressive challenging or ambush, to gain a power-level,
 Act as a judge in the challenges numerical, or positional advantage against the opponent.
 Looking at the pieces
 Applying piece ranks Sweepers - The next most-powerful officers (Three-Star
 Eliminating the weaker piece and taking it out of General down to the Lieutenant Colonel) will take over the
the board Killer function if the Five-Star and Four-Star Generals are
CHALLENGING eliminated. Their main job is to remove all lower-ranking
 When a piece is placed on top of the other so that enemy officers as well as acquire and retain a numerical or
they are in the same square (since only one piece positional advantage of friendly pieces over the enemy.
can fit in the square) Higher rank wins
 If pieces are of the same rank, both lose Probers - These are sacrificial junior officers from the
 If flag-flag challenge, the challenger wins Major down to the Sergeant. Their job is to challenge
untested enemy pieces and determine their power so they
1. As the game progresses, challenges are made resulting in can either be avoided, ambushed, or targeted for elimination
the elimination of soldiers. A "challenge" is made when a by the Killers or Privates. By eliminating Privates, Probers
soldier moves into the same square occupied by an often act as bodyguards to the Spies and the Flag.
opposing soldier. When a challenge is made the following
rules of elimination apply: Privates - Their main job is to eliminate the Spies (in the
opening and middle game) and the Flag (in the end game).
a. A higher ranked soldier eliminates from the board a They usually accompany the highest-ranking officers to
lower-ranked soldiers. eliminate the Spy that targets them. While they can be
b. If both soldiers are of equal, both are eliminated. considered sacrificial, once only one or two Privates are
c. A spy eliminates any officer starting with the rank of 5- left, it becomes very difficult to eliminate the Spies.
star General down to the Sergeant.
d. The Flag can be eliminated or captured by any piece Flag - This is the only piece that can win victory and must
including the opponent's Flag. be hidden and protected at all costs, except when it has an
e. Only a Private can eliminate the Spy. unobstructed way to the far edge of the board; then it can go
f. The Flag that moves into the same square occupied by the for broke. Often, a Private or low-ranking officer is made to
other Flag wins the game. act like a scared Flag to deceive the opponent. Sometimes a
Flag can try to move as if it was a mid-level or low-ranking
officer, or as a Private, to avoid being challenged by another Rampaging Bulls - Send unsupported Generals (Sweepers)
piece. into the enemy fires to eliminate as many opposing pieces
and try to put them in the enemy rear areas to create havoc
Note: The roles of the Sweepers and Probers can be and disrupt the enemy's plans and composure. Lise them to
interchanged in various ways, depending on the player's force the enemy to move his Spies or to weaken his front
preference. lines so your other high-ranking pieces can make their
rampage. Try to keep the Rampaging Bulls active and alive
COMMON STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
as long as possible so they continue to threaten enemy
 BASIC
pieces left on the board and to help reveal the enemy Spies
Linear Assault - This is a simplistic strategy mostly used
by beginners. It consists of powerful units in the front line by their movements. Divert the enemy's Detention from the
forming a shield and weaker units at the side and rear line. Rampaging Bulls by making other offensive moves
The whole front line is advanced as a "lawnmower" to try to elsewhere one board.
eliminate most of the enemy. This is not very effective if
you immediately lose your front line because the only Strongholds - The Strongholds strategy consists of
troops left are the weak ones. The linear formation can be assembling five units to form a strong point, and it can be
disrupted and broken up by Strongpoints and Clustered shaped similarly to a cross (if you want it revealed to the
Task Forces. enemy). The remaining troops, with one Spy, are
interspersed at the sides and front of the Strongholds.
Blitzkrieg - Amass powerful pieces on one side of the Diagonally placed privates in each group can defend and
board (left or right), then try to steamroller and blow a hole
support killing enemy Spies while your Five Star and Four
through the enemy lines by eliminating all the defenders on
that flank. Once the way is clear, send the Flag forward with Star Generals are reserved in the middle of the groups as
an escort and march on to victory. A Blitz through the ambushers by posing as if they were weak pieces. Probers
center is rare because it requires lining both sides of the and some Sweepers at the front can help you determine the
corridor with powerful pieces to eliminate possible blockers enemy's high-ranking pieces while threatening to eliminate
of your Flag. A disadvantage of the Blitzkrieg is that one the enemy Privates and Probers. The stationary Strongholds
flank is strong while the other flank is manned by sacrificial can start moving forward into offensive mode after some
troops; an enemy Blitz that, by chance, is pointed at the high-ranking enemy pieces or Spies are eliminated.
weak flank, can punch through it easily.
Clustered Task Forces - This is similar to the Strongholds
Banzai Charge - This is a variation of the Blitzkrieg strategy but the combatant groups are actively moving
strategy. Troops are generally divided into three groups. around and switching positions often (to try to make the
The center group consists of high-ranking units while the enemy player forget what pieces they might be and where
two other groups are on the flanks with a few strong units. they are). Group a high-ranking general, a Spy, two
While trying to blast a hole on either of the two flanks, also Privates, and two to three officers into a "combined arms"
send a strong blitzkrieg in the center to make a path for the task force whose job is to eliminate enemy pieces in one
flag. This strategy can be effective if the opposing player's area and to reduce his overall numbers. Switch the attack or
pieces are immediately eliminated. However, it can be defensive maneuvers from one Task Force or side of the
stopped in its tracks if the attacking Killers and Sweepers board to the other as needed to divert the opponent's
are immediately or gradually eliminated and there are not attention and make him become confused about the identity
enough reserve units to carry the Flag through. of your powerful pieces. Use expert maneuvering to isolate
the enemy Flag and eliminate it.
Slow-Moving Shield - The most high-ranking pieces are
formed in the shape of a disk with the Spies and top Distributed Defense - Spread out your powerful pieces
Generals in the middle lane and center for defense. The Flag with supporting units across the entire playing area to probe
is placed in the center rear for maximum defense and is not and ambush the enemy Killer pieces. Maneuver your pieces
really meant to advance to the back row of the enemy to rearrange them as blocking forces and to deceive the
territory. The player using this strategy can try to make a opponent as to which pieces are powerful or sacrificial.
slow-moving massed attack up the center or try to guard Ensure there are maneuver spaces where your powerful
against offensive probes into the center. It is somewhat pieces can move to. Put lower-ranking Generals in the rear
vulnerable to the Rampaging Bulls strategy that can areas to take over the defense or bring them forward to
penetrate a flank and start eliminating weak pieces in the assist in the counterattack. Using this strategy, one can
rear. The Shield formation can be slowly reduced by the make limited strikes into enemy territory and then withdraw
Distributed Defense and Clustered Task Forces strategies to those forces before they become trapped or ambushed.
eliminate the Spies and Generals. Force the enemy to redeploy his pieces so you can identify
the enemy's strong versus the weaker units. After
 ADVANCE
eliminating most of the troops in the front and sides, send MOVEMENT
forward some troops to try to identify and corner the flag. The player with the white pieces always moves first. After
HOW THE GAME ENDS the first move, players alternately move one piece per turn
1. The game ends: (except for castling, when two pieces are moved). Pieces
a. When the Flag is eliminated or captured. are moved to either an unoccupied square or one occupied
b. When a Flag reaches the opposite end of the board. by an opponent's piece, which is captured and removed
c. When a player resigns. from play. With the sole exception of en passant, all pieces
d. When both players agree on a drawn position. capture by moving to the square that the opponent's piece
occupies. A player may not make any move that would put
2. A Flag reaching the opposite end of the board may still or leave the player's own king under attack. A player
be eliminated by an opposing piece occupying a square cannot "pass"; at each turn one must make a legal move
adjacent to the one reached by the Flag. In order to win, the (this is the basis for the finesse called zugzwang).
Flag should at least be two square or two ahead of any If the player to move has no legal move, the game is over; it
opposing piece. is either a checkmate (a loss for the player with no legal
moves) if the king is under attack, or a stalemate (a draw)
LESSON 2 if the king is not.
CHESS
Chess- is a two-player strategy board game played on a EACH CHESS PIECE HAS ITS OWN STYLE OF
chessboard. MOVING:
Chessboard- a checkered gameboard with 64 squares The KING moves one square in any direction. The king has
arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. also a special move which is called castling and involves
Chess is played by millions of people worldwide, both also moving a rook.
amateurs and professionals.
The ROOK can move any number of squares along any
OBJECTIVE rank or file, but may not leap over other pieces. Along with
The objective is to 'checkmate' the opponent's king by the king, the rook is involved during the king's castling
placing it under an inescapable threat of capture. To this move.
end, a player's pieces are used to attack and capture the The BISHOP can move any number of squares diagonally,
opponent's pieces, while supporting each other. In addition but may not leap over other pieces.
to checkmate, the game can be won by voluntary
resignation by the opponent, which typically occurs when The QUEEN combines the power of the rook and bishop
too much material is lost, or if checkmate appears and can move any number of squares along rank, file, or
unavoidable. A game may also result in a draw in several diagonal, but it may not leap over other pieces.
ways. The KNIGHT moves to any of the closest squares that are
SETUP AT THE START OF THE GAME not on the same rank, file, or diagonal, thus the move forms
 Each player begins the game with 16 pieces: one an "L" shape: two squares vertically and one square
king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two horizontally, or two squares horizontally and one square
bishops, and eight pawns. Each of the six-piece vertically. The knight is the only piece that can leap over
types moves differently, with the most powerful other pieces.
being the queen and the least powerful the pawn.
 Chess is played on a square board of eight rows The PAWN may move forward to the unoccupied square
(called ranks and denoted with numbers 1 to 8) immediately in front of it on the same file, or on its first
and eight columns (called files and denoted with move it may advance two squares along the same file
letters a to h). The colors of the 64 squares provided both squares are unoccupied (black "•"s in the
alternate and are referred to as "light" and "dark" diagram); or the pawn may capture an opponent's piece on
squares. The chessboard is placed with a light a square diagonally in front of it on an adjacent file, by
square at the right-hand end of the rank nearest to moving to that square (black "x"s). The pawn has two
each player. special moves: the en passant capture and pawn promotion.
 By convention, the game pieces are divided into
white and black sets, and the players are referred to OTHER MOVEMENTS
as "White" and "Black" respectively. Each player EN PASSANT
begins the game with 16 pieces of the specified When a pawn advances two squares from its starting
color, which consist of one king, one queen, two position and there is an opponent's pawn on an adjacent file
rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. next to its destination square, then the opponent's pawn can
Each queen is set on a square of its own color, capture it en passant (in passing), and move to the square
the white queen on a light square and the black the pawn passed over. This can only be done on the very
queen on a dark. next move, otherwise the right to do so is forfeit. For
example, if the black pawn has just advanced two squares
from g7 (initial starting position) to g5, then the white pawn
on 15 may take it via en passant on g6 (but only on White's
next move). Resignation - either player may resign, conceding the game
to the other player. It is usually considered poor etiquette to
CASTLING play on in a truly hopeless position, and for this reason high
- Once in every game, each king is allowed to make a level games rarely end with a checkmate.
special move, known as castling. Castling consists of
moving the king two squares along the first rank toward Loss on time-in games with a time control, a player may
a rook (which is on the player's first rank) and then also lose by running out of time, even with a much superior
placing the rook on the last square that the king has just position.
crossed. Castling is permissible under the following
conditions: Forfeit - a player who cheats, or violates the rules of the
game, or violates the rules specified for the particular
Neither the king nor the rook have previously moved during tournament may be forfeited. In high level tournaments,
the game. players have been forfeited for such things as arriving late
for the game (even by a matter of seconds), receiving a call
There cannot be any pieces between the king and the rook. or text on a cell phone, refusing to undergo a drug test,
The king cannot be in check, nor can the king pass through refusing to undergo a body search for electronic devices and
squares that are under attack by enemy pieces, or move to a unsporting behavior (such as refusing to shake the
square where it would result in a check. opponent's hand).

Note that castling is permissible if the rook is attacked, or if DRAW

the rook crosses a square that is attacked. Games may end in a draw in several ways:
Draw by Agreement - draws are most commonly reached
PROMOTION by mutual agreement between the players. The correct
When a pawn advances to the eighth rank, as a part of the procedure is to verbally offer the draw, make a move, then
move it is promoted and must be exchanged for the player's start the opponent's clock. Traditionally players have been
choice of queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the same color. allowed to agree a draw at any time in the game,
Usually, the pawn is chosen to be promoted to a queen, but occasionally even without playing a move; in recent years
in some cases another piece is chosen; this is called efforts have been made to discourage short draws, for
underpromotion. example by forbidding draw offers before move thirty.
There is no restriction placed on the piece that is chosen on Stalemate-the player whose turn it is to move is not in
promotion, so it is possible to have more pieces of the same check, but has no legal move.
type than at the start of the game (for example, two queens).
Threefold Repetition of a position - this most commonly
CHECK occurs when neither side is able to avoid repeating moves
-When a king is under immediate attack by one or two of without incurring a disadvantage. In this situation, either
the opponent's pieces, it is said to be in check. A response player may claim a draw; this requires the players to keep a
to a check is a legal move if it results in a position where the valid written record of the game so that the claim may be
king is no longer under direct attack (that is, not in check). verified by the arbiter if challenged. The three occurrences
This can involve capturing the checking piece; interposing of the position need not occur on consecutive moves for a
a piece between the checking piece and the king (which is claim to be valid. FIDE rules make no mention of perpetual
possible only if the attacking piece is a queen, rook, or check; this is merely a specific type of draw by threefold
bishop and there is a square between it and the king): or repetition.
moving the king to a square where it is not under attack.
Castling is not a permissible response to a check. The object The Fifty-Move Rule - if during the previous 50 moves no
of the game is to checkmate the opponent; this occurs when pawn has been moved and no capture has been made, either
the opponent's king is in check, and there is no legal way to player may claim a draw, as for the threefold-repetition rule.
remove it from attack. It is illegal for a player to make a There are in fact several known endgames where it is
move that would put or leave the player's own king in theoretically possible to force a mate but which require
check. more than 50 moves before the pawn move or capture is
In casual games it is common to announce "check" when made; examples include some endgames with two knights
putting the opponent's king in check, but this is not required against a pawn and some pawnless endgames such as queen
by the rules of the game, and is not usually done in against two bishops. These endings are rare, and few
tournaments. players study them in detail, so the fifty-move rule is
considered practical for over the board play. Some
END OF THE GAME correspondence chess organizations allow exceptions to the
WIN fifty-move rule.
Games may be won in the following ways:
Checkmate
Fivefold repetition of a position, similar to the threefold-
repetition rule, but in this case no player needs to claim the
draw for the game to be drawn. This rule took effect on 1
July 2014. It establishes that there is a theoretical upper
bound on the length of lawful chess games.

The seventy-five-move rule, similar to the fifty-move rule;

however, if the final move in the sequence resulted in
checkmate, this takes precedence. As for the fivefold-
repetition rule, this applies independently of claims by the
players. The rule also took effect on 1 July 2014 and also
establishes, independently, an upper bound on the game
length.

Insufficient Material - a player may claim a draw the

opponent has insufficient material to checkmate, for
example if the player has only the king left and the
opponent has only the king and a bishop. Such a claim is
only valid if checkmate is impossible. Under the revised
rule that took effect on 1 July 2009, which only refers to the
impossibility of reaching checkmate without explicitly
relating this to the players' material, the game is ended
immediately in a draw, not requiring a claim by a player.

CHESS PIECES