Onitama belongs to specific category of 2-player abstracts I call “Worse Chess“. These are perfect information, direct conflict games played on a square grid where the goal is to capture a particular playing piece of your opponent’s. The Duke is another popular example, and there are many lesser known titles in the genre as well. I can state without embellishment that I genuinely don’t understand the appeal of these games. Just play Chess. Chess has history, culture, immense depth, and a vast community of players. “Worse Chess” is a watered down Chess-like experience without any of those things. Onitama, despite its acclaim, is no exception. Onitama is played on a 5×5 grid. Each player starts with 4 “Student Pawns” and 1 “Master Pawn,” which they line up on their side of the grid with the Master in the center. They are both dealt two random face-up “Move” cards, and a fifth Move card is placed to the side of the board. The rest of the cards will not be used and are returned to the box, potentially to be involved in future games. Onitama differs from Chess in that the player pieces do not have dedicated move sets. Instead, players take turns by selecting 1 of their 2 Move cards and applying its movement rules to any piece of their choosing. After doing so, they exchange their selected card with the one to the side of the board. In effect, this means that the available moves will cycle between players as the game is played, because every card you use…