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Hex

Hex is a strategy board game played on a hexagonal grid, theoretically of any size and several possible shapes, but traditionally as an 11×11 rhombus.

Players alternate placing stones (black or white) on unoccupied spaces in an attempt to link their opposite sides of the board in an unbroken chain. One player must win; there are no draws. The first player to complete his or her connection wins the game.

Since the first player to move in Hex has a distinct advantage, the pie rule is generally implemented for fairness. This rule allows the second player to choose whether to switch positions with the first player after the first player makes the first move.

Other popular dimensions are 13×13 and 19×19 as a result of the game's relationship to the older game "Go." According to the book "A Beautiful Mind," John Nash (one of the game's inventors) advocated 14×14 as the optimal size.