[Alpha Review] Yavalath — Connect 4 to WIN, 3 to LOSE! (2–3 players)
Posted: 06 October 2026, 11:22
Hi fellow BGA Reviewers,
I'm excited to share that Yavalath has just entered Public Alpha and is ready for your playtesting and reviews!
Direct Reviewer Link: https://boardgamearena.com/reviewer?game=yavalath
About the game: Invented in 2007 by computer scientist Cameron Browne using his evolutionary program LUDI (and originally published by nestorgames), Yavalath holds the distinction of being the first commercially published AI-designed board game.
The Rules & Twist:
Players take turns placing one stone on an empty hex space.
Connect 4 in a row to WIN!
But beware: Connect 3 in a row and you LOSE!
If a single placement makes both 4 and 3, the 4-in-a-row WIN takes precedence.
Features implemented for review:
Board Variants: Standard (Side 5 / 61 cells), Five-not-four (Side 6 / 91 cells, 5 to win / 4 to lose), and Compact (Side 4 / 37 cells).
Opening Rule: Optional Pie Rule (Swap) for competitive 2-player balance.
3-Player Mode: Forming 3-in-a-row eliminates the player (their stones stay as static blockers), with official 2/1/0 VP pairwise ranking for proper ELO.
Tactile UI: Tap-to-stage with confirm/undo and stone sound effects.
Please test a game or two and let me know if you run into any edge cases or suggestions via the bug/suggestion tracker. If everything looks good to you, your rating and approval on the reviewer page would be greatly appreciated so we can bring it to Beta!
Thank you!
I'm excited to share that Yavalath has just entered Public Alpha and is ready for your playtesting and reviews!
Direct Reviewer Link: https://boardgamearena.com/reviewer?game=yavalathAbout the game: Invented in 2007 by computer scientist Cameron Browne using his evolutionary program LUDI (and originally published by nestorgames), Yavalath holds the distinction of being the first commercially published AI-designed board game.
The Rules & Twist:
Players take turns placing one stone on an empty hex space.
Connect 4 in a row to WIN!
But beware: Connect 3 in a row and you LOSE!
If a single placement makes both 4 and 3, the 4-in-a-row WIN takes precedence.
Features implemented for review:
Board Variants: Standard (Side 5 / 61 cells), Five-not-four (Side 6 / 91 cells, 5 to win / 4 to lose), and Compact (Side 4 / 37 cells).
Opening Rule: Optional Pie Rule (Swap) for competitive 2-player balance.
3-Player Mode: Forming 3-in-a-row eliminates the player (their stones stay as static blockers), with official 2/1/0 VP pairwise ranking for proper ELO.
Tactile UI: Tap-to-stage with confirm/undo and stone sound effects.
Please test a game or two and let me know if you run into any edge cases or suggestions via the bug/suggestion tracker. If everything looks good to you, your rating and approval on the reviewer page would be greatly appreciated so we can bring it to Beta!
Thank you!