Barricade

The pawns begin in the center squares of opposite outer rows. Your goal is any square on the row across the board from your starting side. Reaching that row with a legal pawn move wins immediately.

On your turn, either move your pawn or place one wall. You cannot do both on the same turn. Using a wall leaves your pawn in place and reduces your remaining wall supply by one.

An ordinary pawn move goes one square up, down, left or right through an unblocked edge. You cannot stand on the opponent's square, move through a wall or make a free diagonal move.

If the opponent is immediately adjacent and no wall separates you, you can jump straight over them when the square beyond is inside the board and the intervening edge is open. If a wall or the board edge prevents that straight jump, a legal side step around the opponent may be available. That diagonal step must also pass through an open edge from the opponent's square.

The legal destinations depend on the current wall layout and pawn positions. An apparent shortcut is not valid simply because its destination square is empty.

Each horizontal or vertical wall spans two neighboring movement edges. Walls stay on the board once placed. You start with ten; after using them, your turns must be pawn moves.

A wall cannot overlap an occupied wall segment or cross through the middle of an individual wall. Perpendicular placements can meet at a join between adjacent walls when the other placement rules allow it. The complete layout still has to leave a path from each pawn to its own goal row.

A wall that closes the last route for either player is rejected, even if it would appear to secure a win. Plan a detour rather than trying to trap a pawn completely.

Count the remaining legal steps for both pawns. A wall spends your current turn, so compare the detour it creates for the opponent with the progress you could make by moving instead.

A barrier can lengthen your own route as well as your opponent's. Recheck the whole route after each placement and keep track of both wall supplies. Close pawn encounters can change the shortest path because of jumps and side steps.

Your target is any square on the opposite row, not just the square directly across from your start. Count a legal route to that row for each pawn. Recount after a wall, jump or side step changes the position.

Placing a wall uses the turn you could have spent moving one square. A wall that adds one step to the opponent’s route may merely trade away your own one-step advance. If it also lengthens your route, it can put you further behind. Compare both routes and the remaining wall supplies rather than counting walls alone.

The diagram shows a legal wall that blocks two center-lane edges while leaving routes around an end. It is a route-reading example, not a recommended opening. A wall that seals every route for either player is illegal, and an open route still has to respect the current pawn positions.

Barricade uses a 90-second realtime turn budget. Follow the server countdown and allow time to choose a legal action. An invalid placement does not move your pawn or complete a turn for you.

Timeout and forfeit can lose the match and full stake. The 8% platform fee applies to a completed winning pot. Check eligibility, connection readiness and your budget before entering the staked lobby.