trictrac/doc/trictrac_rules.md

Trictrac Rules — Quick Reference

This document summarises the rules of grand trictrac based on the 2013 Malfilâtre edition (full text).

French terms follow the mapping in vocabulary.md.

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1. Board and Starting Position

• 24 triangular fields (flèches / cases), numbered 1–24 from each player's perspective.
• 4 quarters of 6 fields: small jan (1–6), big jan (7–12), return jan (13–18), last jan (19–24, exit zone).
• Field 12 (White) / 13 (Black) is the rest corner (coin de repos).
• Each player starts with all 15 checkers in a stack (talon) on field 1.
• Checkers always move in the same direction (White: 1→24; Black: mirror of that).

2. Dice and Movement

• Both dice are rolled together; both must be played if possible.
• If only one can be played and there is a choice, the higher number must be played.
• A single checker may play both dice successively — a chained move (tout d'une) — stopping on an intermediate resting field (repos) between the two dice.
• Fields are single-color: a checker may only land on an empty field or one already occupied by own checkers.
• Landing on a field with ≥ 1 opponent checker is forbidden (blocked field).
• An unplayed number is a helpless man (jan-qui-ne-peut): 2 points penalty per unplayed die, credited to the opponent.

3. The Rest Corner (Field 12 / 13)

• Must be entered simultaneously (d'emblée): exactly 2 checkers must enter together.
• Must be vacated simultaneously: exactly 2 checkers must leave together.
• Always holds ≥ 2 checkers while occupied; a single checker there is forbidden.
• Three ways to take the corner:
  • By effect (par effet): normal die values land exactly on it.
  • By puissance (par puissance): the opponent's corner is empty; the player could take both corners simultaneously, but by privilege takes their own instead (as if stepping back one field).
  • By chance (par effet): general case when it results from the dice.
• If both by-effect and by-puissance are possible, by-effect takes priority.
• An empty corner may serve as a resting field during a chained move (not a landing).
• Placing checkers on the opponent's corner is always forbidden.

4. Scoring: Points and Holes

• Points are tracked with tokens (0–11); 12 points = 1 hole (trou).
• A hole won bredouille (bredouille) counts as 2 holes: the active player scored 12 consecutive points from zero without the opponent scoring anything in between. The second player to start marking takes a double token (the pavillon / flag) and can also win bredouille.
• The ordinary game ends when one player reaches 12 holes.

5. Scoring Events (Jans)

All point values: normal roll / double.

5a. Opening Jans (first rolls of a setting only)

Jan	Condition	Points
Two tables jan	First 2 checkers deployed; roll covers both rest corners; opponent's corner is empty	4 / 6 (to player)
Contre two tables	Same, but opponent has already taken their corner	4 / 6 (to opponent, as false hit)
Mezeas jan	Corner just taken (2 checkers); next roll shows one or two aces; opponent's corner empty	4 per ace / 6 for double (to player)
Contre mezeas	Same, but opponent's corner is occupied	4 / 6 (to opponent)
Six tables jan	After 2 rolls a checker is on 4 of the first 6 fields; 3rd roll could complete all 6	4 (always; not possible on a double)

5b. Jan Filling and Conserving

A jan is full (plein) when all 6 of its fields hold ≥ 2 own checkers.

• Filling: the last checker is brought in to complete the jan.
  • Up to 3 ways: each direct die value covering the last field, or the combined sum (chained move).
  • Each way: 4 / 6 points.
  • Doubles allow at most 2 ways.
  • "Filling in passing" (player must break the jan to play the other die) scores nothing.
• Conserving: both dice can be played without disturbing any of the 12 checkers of the full jan.
  • Worth 4 / 6 points (at most one way).
  • Conservation by helplessness (par impuissance): only die value 6 triggers this (smaller values can always be played within the jan by breaking it).
  • The full return jan may be conserved by exiting one or more checkers.
• After marking points for filling, the player must actually fill the jan with the appropriate checker(s) — failure is a false move and a school.

5c. Hitting (Jan de Récompense)

Hitting is always fictitious: a checker is "hit" when a die value could cover an opponent checker on a half-field (demi-case), but no actual checker moves. The opponent's checker stays.

True hit: a die (direct or combined sum) fictitiously covers the opponent checker.

• In the small jan table (fields 1–12): 4 / 6 points per way.
• In the big jan table (fields 13–24): 2 / 4 points per way.

Ways to hit:

• 1 way: only one direct die, or only the combined sum, covers the checker.
• 2 ways: both direct dice cover it, or one die + the combined sum.
• 3 ways: both dice + the combined sum (requires a normal roll; doubles max at 2 ways).

Combined-sum hit requires a free resting field between the two dice stops: the field must be empty, own, or a single opponent checker (which is then also hit).

False hit (à faux): the combined sum could hit but no valid resting field exists (all intermediate options are full opponent fields). The opponent gains the points the player would have scored.

• True-hit points are always marked before false-hit points.
• A checker already hit truly cannot also be hit falsely in the same move.
• Multiple checkers may be hit simultaneously (some true, some false).

Corner hit: player holds their own corner; opponent's corner is empty; the dice could simultaneously take the opponent's corner. Worth 4 / 6 points. Never false.

5d. Exit

• When all 15 checkers are in the last jan (fields 19–24), the player may exit.
• The exit rail counts as one additional field value.
• Exact exit: die value brings the checker directly to the exit rail — allowed.
• Overflow (nombre excédant): die value would carry the farthest checker past the rail — must exit.
• Failing number (nombre défaillant): die cannot reach or overflow — must play within the jan.
• A player may choose not to use an exact exit value and play within the jan instead — but overflow must always exit.
• It is forbidden to deliberately play a die within the jan to force the second die to be played as an overflow (using a checker closer to the exit).
• When the last checker exits: 4 points on a normal roll, 6 points on a double.
• After exit: checkers reset; the player who exited keeps first-move privilege for the new setting.

6. Forbidden Jans

A player may not place a checker in the opponent's small jan or big jan as long as the opponent can still materially complete a full jan there (i.e., enough of their own checkers remain to fill it).

Exception: during a chained move, an empty field in the opponent's big jan (including their empty corner) may serve as a resting field to pass a checker into the return jan.

7. Sequence of Play

Each turn follows this order:

1. Mark opponent's helpless man points or contre-jans from the previous move.
2. Mark opponent's schools; rectify false moves if any.
3. Roll dice. Opponent may mark schools for steps 1–2.
4. Mark own points: opening jans, hits, fills, conserves, exit.
5. Decide to stay (tenir) or leave (s'en aller) if a hole was won on own roll.
6. If exiting: reset checkers, keep token positions, roll again.
7. Play both dice.

Points and holes must always be marked before touching checkers for the next move.

8. Staying or Leaving

After winning one or more holes on own dice roll, the player chooses:

• Stay (tenir): mark holes, reset opponent token to zero, mark remainder points, continue.
• Leave (s'en aller): announce it; opponent agrees or raises a fault. All checkers and tokens reset to zero; only holes remain. Player who left has first-move privilege in the new setting. Remainder points are forfeited; opponent scores nothing for that move.

If the winning points come from the opponent's roll (helpless man, schools), the player must stay — leaving is not an option.

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9. Schools (Marking Penalties) — Not Yet Implemented

Schools are penalties for marking errors. They are worth exactly the number of points over- or under-marked on the faulty move. They are marked last in the turn sequence.

Key rules:

• A school is committed once dice are rolled or a token has been advanced too far and released.
• The opponent is never obliged to mark a school — but if they do, it must be marked in full.
• False school: incorrectly claiming a school — itself becomes a school for the opponent.
• School escalation (augmentation d'école): dispute over a school that escalates back and forth.
• No "school of school" exists (marking a school is never itself penalised).
• No school of holes for marking a bredouille hole as simple; a school of points applies for forgetting holes due to earned points.

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10. The Scored Game (Partie à Écrire) — Not Yet Implemented

The scored game is played for an agreed number of rounds (marqués) and supports 2, 3, or 4 players (the 3/4-player format is called chouette).

Goal of a Round

• A player must score at least 6 holes and then leave to win the round.
• If both players are tied at ≥ 6 holes when one leaves, the round is drawn (refait) and replayed immediately.
• Winner of a round = player with the most holes after a leave.

Bredouille in the Scored Game

• Small bredouille (petite bredouille): ≥ 6 consecutive holes → round counts double.
• Big bredouille (grande bredouille): ≥ 12 consecutive holes → round counts quadruple.
• The second player to score holes takes the flag (pavillon) at their peg. If the first player scores again, they take back the flag, cancelling both bredouilles.

Payments

Each round is settled in tokens:

• Winner receives (winner's holes − loser's holes) tokens, plus consolation of 2 tokens.
• Small bredouille: each winner hole worth 2 tokens; consolation = 4.
• Big bredouille: each winner hole worth 4 tokens; consolation = 8.
• Loser holes always deducted at 1 token each.
• In 3-player games, the non-playing player also receives consolation from the loser.
• Replays double the consolation price each time.

A queue accumulates tokens from each defeat and is paid at game end to the player with the most tokens.

Bets (paris): rounds played beyond each player's average (the contingent). The first double-bet is the postillon (28 tokens, including 20 from the queue); each subsequent bet costs 8 tokens.

Multi-Player Rotation (3 or 4 Players)

• 3 players: after each round, the winner is replaced by the third player; first-move privilege stays with the player who remained.
• 4 players: two teams of two; each player plays two rounds in a row then gives way to their partner.
• Non-active players may advise (opponents in 3-player, teammates in 4-player) but may not touch game components.

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11. Implementation Status Summary

Feature	Status
Board state, movement, rest corner	Implemented
Helpless man	Implemented
True / false hits (small jan, big jan, corner)	Implemented
Jan filling and conserving (small, big, return)	Implemented
Opening jans (two tables, mezeas, six tables)	Implemented
Exit and exit points	Implemented
Bredouille (hole bredouille)	Implemented (can_bredouille)
Forbidden jans	Implemented
Stay / leave (s'en aller)	Implemented (Go event)
Big bredouille (can_big_bredouille)	Field exists, not used
Schools	Not implemented
Scored game / rounds	Not implemented
Misery pile (pile de misère)	Not implemented