TRIAD™ Gem Placement & Strategies

Gem Placement Rules

1. At the start of each turn, place one Gem on any vacant Post. Example 1.
2. Once placed, a Gem may not be moved unless removed by Capture.
3. Jewels may not cross a Border with an opponents Gems occupying both bracketing Posts. Example 2.

Gem Outcomes

1. Captures: If you bracket your opponent's Gem with two of your Gems on straight, consecutive Posts, you Capture it. Remove it, place it in your Gem Tally and replace it with a one of your own. Fill up your Gem Tally with 10 of your opponent's Gems and you will win by Capture. Example 2.
   • Multiple Captures: Multiple Captures occur when the placement of a Gem brackets more than one of the opponent’s Gems on different but intersecting borders. Example 3.
   • Chain Reaction Captures: A Chain Reaction Capture occurs when the capture of a gem leads to the capture of another Gem. If replacing a Captured Gem brackets another Gem, that Gem is also Captured. This chain reaction continues until no other Gem replacements lead to additional Captures. Examples 5 - 7.
2. Blocking: Create Barriers by placing Gems on adjacent Posts blocking your opponent's progress to achieve a Breach.
3. Gem Trap: If your Gems occupy all three posts surrounding an opponents Jewel, it is unable to be moved. All three Jewels must be moved every turn. If a Jewel is unable to move, that is a Trap and the game is over. Example 8.

Gem Strategies

1. Begin by placing Gems on the outer edge of the board and work toward the center.
2. Block your Dock by placing gems on the Posts immediately in front of your Dock. Your opponent will not be able to cross the barrier to Breach.
3. Do not let your opponent block his Docks. If you do you will be unable to Breach.

You should now have a basic understanding of Gem placement and strategies. If you would like to get an overview of TRIAD components and how to play, click here to read our TRIAD Overview article.

You may download the official TRIAD rules here.