Roman Solitaire (Prototype)

Roman Solitaire is a two-player strategy board game that combines elements of Checkers and Chess. It's played on an 8x8 grid board with white and black pieces. The game offers a unique blend of simple rules and complex strategy, making it accessible to beginners while providing depth for experienced players.

Game Components:
8x8 grid board
9 white pieces
9 black pieces

Setup:
The 18 pieces (9 white and 9 black) are randomly placed on the board at the start of the game.

White moves first.

Rules:

1. Movement:
* Players take turns moving one piece per turn.
* A piece can move to any empty adjacent square, including diagonally and orthogonally (up, down, left, right, or any of the four diagonal directions).

2. Capturing:
* A piece captures an opponent's piece by jumping over it to an empty square immediately beyond.
* Captures can be made in any direction (diagonally or orthogonally).
* The captured piece is removed from the board.
* Only one piece can be captured per move.
* Captures are not mandatory. A player may choose to move without capturing, even if a capture is available.

3. No Piece Promotion:
* Unlike in Checkers, pieces do not get promoted or gain additional abilities when reaching the opposite end of the board.

4. Turn Order:
* White moves first, then players alternate turns.
* A player must make a move on their turn if possible.

5. Winning the Game:
* The game ends when one player captures all of their opponent's pieces.
* The player who captures all of their opponent's pieces wins the game.

6. Draw:
* If a position is reached where neither player can make a legal move, the game is a draw.

Players can be either human or AI-controlled.

There's a "best move" suggestion feature that highlights the optimal move for the current player.

Strategy Tips:

Control the center of the board to maximize your movement options.
Try to create formations that protect your pieces while threatening your opponent's.
Look for opportunities to make captures, but be cautious of leaving your pieces vulnerable.

Plan multiple moves ahead, anticipating your opponent's responses.

This game combines elements of checkers (with the capturing mechanism) and chess (with the movement to adjacent squares), but with its own unique twist in terms of setup and win conditions.

The additional random initial setup ensures that each game starts with a fresh tactical landscape, adding to its replay value.

Feedback is welcome!