Ahayuta

Ahayuta is a pure, two-player abstract strategy game of deep positional play and sudden, decisive power shifts.

Played on a unique 8x8 board with its corners removed, you command six pieces (warriors). Your goal is to either capture your opponent's powerful "Ahayuta" piece or to move your own Ahayuta across the board to the opponent's home row.

The game's heart is its unique "Clamp" capture mechanism: you capture by surrounding an opponent's piece between two of your own in a straight line, not by jumping.
The twist: the mighty Ahayuta piece is not on the board at first. It is born either by sacrificing your first captured warrior or by heroically moving one of your warriors to the opponent's back row. Once present, this piece changes the entire flow of the game, moving omnidirectionally and becoming the focal point of both victory and danger.