Pit of Pillars

Pit of Pillars is an elimination game of placement of men, and moving and capturing stacks. Every capture results in a pillar being erected on the square where the capture took place. Pillars belong to the captor and move as chess queens. They can neither capture nor move over pieces. Stacks can be split or joined. Whether a stack is vulnerable to capture is determined by the number of adjacent squares. Pillars take away such squares and thus heighten vulnerability of adjacent stacks. A player wins by eliminating all of the opponent's stacks from the board (regardless of any reserves either player might have in hand) or by leaving his opponent without a legal move. Cooperative cycles are inherently possible, but in regular play the game will seldom end in a draw. The game can be played using simple generic material: a chess board, draughtsmen, and chess pawns to represent pillars.