Jeson Mor

Jeson Mor, meaning Nine Horses, is a two-player strategy board game from Mongolia played on a 9 by 9 checkered board. Each player commands nine pieces representing chess knights, arranged along their own starting rank, and moves them using the standard knight's move from orthodox chess. The primary way to win is to be the first player to move a knight onto the board's central square and then move it away again on a later turn; a player can also win by capturing every one of the opponent's pieces. Because the central square is contested by pieces converging from both sides, the game rewards careful control of the board's middle and can produce zugzwang positions in which a player has no move that does not worsen their position.