 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2018) |
 An Arimaa elephant | |
| Designers | Omar Syed and Aamir Syed |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Z-Man Games |
| Years active | 2002 – present |
| Genres | Board game Abstract strategy game |
| Players | 2 |
| Setup time | < 1 minute |
| Playing time | 15 minutes – 2 hours |
| Chance | None |
| Skills | Strategy, tactics |
| Website | http://www.arimaa.com |
Arimaa /əˈriːmə/ (ə-REE-mə) is a two-player strategy board game that was designed to be playable with a standard chess set and difficult for computers while still being easy to learn and fun to play for humans. It was invented between 1997 and 2002 by Omar Syed,[1][2][3] an Indian-American computer engineer trained in artificial intelligence. Syed was inspired by Garry Kasparov's defeat at the hands of the chess computer Deep Blue to design a new game which could be played with a standard chess set, would be difficult for computers to play well, but would have rules simple enough for his then four-year-old son Aamir to understand.[4] ("Arimaa" is "Aamir" spelled backwards plus an initial "a".)
Beginning in 2004, the Arimaa community held three annual tournaments: a World Championship (humans only), a Computer Championship (computers only), and the Arimaa Challenge (human vs. computer). After eleven years of human dominance, the 2015 challenge was won decisively by the computer (Sharp by David Wu).[5]
Arimaa has won several awards including GAMES Magazine 2011 Best Abstract Strategy Game,[6] Creative Child Magazine 2010 Strategy Game of the Year,[7] and the 2010 Parents' Choice Approved Award.[8] It has also been the subject of several research papers.
- ^ "The Creation of Arimaa".
- ^ Syed, Omar; Syed, Aamir (2003). "Arimaa – a New Game Designed to be Difficult for Computers". International Computer Games Association Journal. 26: 138–139.
- ^ Rohrer, Finlo (24 November 2013). "The unwinnable game". BBC News.
- ^ "Arimaa Forum - plz say more about the design decisions".
- ^ "Arimaa: Game Over?".
- ^ "GAMES Game Awards". Archived from the original on 2015-12-19.
- ^ "Murphy Monitor - Accolades keep coming for Murphy strategy game inventor". Archived from the original on 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
- ^ "Arimaa". Parents' Choice Foundation. Archived from the original on 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2013-05-02.