Havannah
ABSTRACT STRATEGY CONNECTION GAME invented 1979 by CHRISTIAN FREELING. Played on a HEXAGONAL BOARD (usually side-8 hex = 61 or side-10 = 91 cells). Two players place stones seeking to form ONE OF THREE WINNING STRUCTURES: (1) BRIDGE (chain connecting 2 corners), (2) FORK (chain connecting 3 sides), (3) RING (loop of any size enclosing empty or opposing area). Signature: MULTIPLE WIN CONDITIONS make it distinctly strategic. First-player advantage; usually with swap rule.
Quick facts
Category
Mind Sports
Type
Individual
Players
2–2
Duration
~45 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇳🇱 Netherlands
Estimated origin
1979 Christian Freeling invention; part of his Mindsports catalog
Olympic
No
Popularity
niche
How it works
Objective
Form a BRIDGE (2 corners), FORK (3 sides), or RING (any loop).
Rules
Basic rules
Alternate placing 1 stone per turn on any empty hex
Standard placement.
WIN CONDITION 1 — BRIDGE: connect any 2 corner hexes with your chain
Signature bridge win.
WIN CONDITION 2 — FORK: connect any 3 of the 6 sides (not corners) with your chain
Signature fork win.
WIN CONDITION 3 — RING: form a closed loop (any size) with your stones (containing anything inside)
Signature ring win.
No captures, no removal — stones stay forever
Pure placement.
Swap rule (pie rule) commonly used to balance first-move advantage
Balance rule.
Scoring
Any of the 3 win conditions (bridge, fork, ring) wins the game.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| BRIDGE (2 corners connected) | WIN |
| FORK (3 sides connected) | WIN |
| RING (closed loop of any size) | WIN |
Win condition · Bridge OR Fork OR Ring.
Equipment
Hexagonal board (side-8 or side-10 typical)
Signature hex grid
White + Black stones
Go-style stones
Terminology
- Bridge
- Chain of your stones connecting 2 corners of the hex board.
- Fork
- Chain connecting 3 of the 6 sides (excluding corners).
- Ring
- Closed loop of stones enclosing anything (empty or opposing stones).
- Christian Freeling
- Dutch game designer, prolific inventor of abstract games (Havannah, Y, Emergo, etc.).
Where it is played
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Christian Freeling (inventor + top player)
- Various Mind Sports Olympiad Havannah champions
- Board Game Arena top-tier players
Frequently asked
Havannah vs Hex — how do they differ?+
Both are CONNECTION GAMES on HEX GRIDS with NO DRAWS + PURE STRATEGY. HEX: single win condition (connect your 2 sides). HAVANNAH: 3 different win conditions (Bridge, Fork, Ring) — much more strategic complexity + variety. Because there are multiple ways to win, HAVANNAH forces players to defend against 3 possible threats simultaneously. AI RESISTANCE: Havannah was long considered a challenge for AI due to the ring pattern recognition being non-trivial.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Havannah— Wikipedia