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Looking for a new board game for Christmas - Retsami is simple to learn with only 4 rules...

A good imagination will make a Retsami player think of possibilities that will not occur to a less imaginative logician.

Retsami has a powerful aesthetic appeal.

The endless opportunities for creating new combinations are perhaps comparable to painting or music.

The approach to problem-solving is the same as for chess (or, indeed, for mathematics).

When faced with a problem, the first step is to “size it up”, possibly looking for patterns or similarity to previous experiences. As in mathematics, which might be defined as the study of patterns, pattern recognition in Retsami is of prime importance in problem solving. After recognizing similarity and pattern, a global strategy can be developed to solve the problem. This involves generating alternatives, a creative process. These alternatives must then be evaluated, using a process of calculation known as decision tree analysis, where the Retsami player/problem solver is calculating the desirability of future events based on the alternative under examination. This calculation may go several moves ahead and requires serious concentration.

Learning Retsami involves more than just playing the game.

It has the advantage of being an art, a science, and a sport Pattern recognition, calculation, abstract reasoning, concentration, deduction, visual imagery, analysis and evaluation are factors widely recognized as attributes of intelligence.

Other benefits to accrue from the learning and playing of Retsami are:

• The game removes the element of luck;
• It teaches the importance of planning;
• It is an effective decision teaching activity;
• It is an endless, lifelong source of satisfaction - the better one plays, the more rewarding it becomes.

And benefits of specific use to children lie in:

• The development of analytical and synthetic skills which they can transfer to real life;
• The gaining of insights into the nature of competition which will help them in any competitive endeavour.

The game’s further advantageous qualities are:

• A board game for 2 players so two friends can play it on their own.
• Somewhere between chess and checkers in its mental demands so intellectually challenging but accessible to anyone.
• An average game lasts between 30 and 40 minutes.
  and can therefore be played at any time.
• It is easily transported and can be played anywhere at any time.
• The positions of counters are easily logged
  so the game can be put on hold and completed later.

John Wildsmith, Creator of Retsami

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