You can add up to 2 more players, but you have to buy an additional set of marbles for each additional player. All the same rules of the game apply, even if you add more players, but the board might look a little crazy!
Position the row of 3 so that the marbles are centered in the third row so that there are 2 empty spaces on either side.
Take a look at the game board to figure out how many marbles you should move. You want to push your opponent’s pieces off the board, but you don’t want to leave your own pieces open to an attack. The Abalone board is set up so that you can literally push the marbles into their new spaces with your fingers. You don’t need to pick them up each time.
You can push the marbles off at any point on the board as long as they fall off the edge. Place the discarded marbles onto the edges of the game board so they don’t roll away.
A helpful phrase to remember is 3 pushes 2, 3 pushes 1, and 2 pushes 1. Remember, you can only move 1 space at a time. You may have to spend a couple of moves pushing a single marble off the board, especially if it starts in the center.
For example, if you push your opponent’s marble off the board with 2 of yours, you could be opening yourself up for an attack as you move close to the edge.
Try to keep your marbles clumped close together so that you can move multiple at a time. If they’re spread all over the board, it will be a lot harder to get them back together again.
You can’t bring a marble back into play once it’s been pushed off the board.
