History
“Queen’s Guards” (also referred to as “Agon” or “Royal Guards”) is a two player strategy game. This game may be the oldest 2 player hexagonal board game, as it pre-dates the many popular hexagonal chess variants that have been invented. It was first published in England during the Victorian era in 1842 by Anthony Peacock. Others believe it may have been played before that in 18th century France. Board games were very popular during this era, and Agon was among many games to surface during the time.
The name Agon is from a Greek word for contention or combat (The same root as the word Agony), and also the end of “hexagon” as fun play on words. In the 1852 publication Family Pastime; or, Homes Made Happy. Robert Kemp Philp describes the game as being a middle ground between draughts and chess. “… every piece is of equal importance throughout the game, and a habit of regarding not one, but all, is gradually acquired, thereby showing the advantages of concentrated exertion over individual competition”
How to play
Objective
Two players take turns moving their pieces in attempt to get their queen to the “throne” at the center of the board, surrounded by all of her guards in the next ring of spaces.
Setup
Each player places their queen in the marked spaces at opposite ends of the board. The guards are placed in the spaces with the smaller marks matching the player’s color. When set up correctly, the pieces should be alternating colors around the board.
Game Play
- You can choose who goes first any way you'd like. There is no advantage to going first. Players alternate turns from there.
- During your turn, move any one of your pieces to an adjacent empty space towards the center, or sideways within the current ring. You can not move backwards away from the center.
- If your piece lands so that you are surrounding an enemy on two sides to form a line, their piece is removed from the board, and the other player must use their next turn to place the piece back on the board.
Placing Pieces Back on the Board
- Regular pieces are placed on the outer ring.
- The Queen may be placed on any empty space on the board.
- If multiple pieces are sent back at once, a Queen must be placed back first, and other pieces can be placed in any order, each on a separate turn.
- Note that it is not always advantageous to send the opponent back, as they have the choice of where the piece is placed.
Additional Rules
- Only the Queen may occupy the center space.
- If you touch a piece, you must move that piece or forfeit your turn.
- No piece can be moved backward, only toward the center or within the current ring of spaces.
- You cannot move your pieces between two of your enemies to form a line. (In other words you can’t intentionally get your piece thrown back.)
- Pieces can’t jump over each other.
Declaring the Winner
- The game is won if a player has their queen in the center throne surrounded by all 6 of their guards.
- If a player's guards are all surrounding the center space but the queen is NOT there, that player forfeits the game, as neither queen can sit on the throne.