The Opening / The Key
The game begins with the Opening. After both players have chosen their colors and placed their pieces in the starting position, White always moves first.
The White player selects any one of their eight playing pieces to become the Key and moves it outside the board. The Key may be placed immediately beyond either end of its row (left or right) or either end of its column (top or bottom), while remaining aligned with its original position.
The Red player then performs the same Opening by selecting any one of their eight playing pieces and placing it outside the board in the same manner.
In the example shown, the White square-shaped piece bearing the Square symbol is selected as the White Key. The blue arrows indicate its four possible Opening directions. The Red circle-shaped piece bearing the X symbol is selected as the Red Key, with the yellow arrows indicating its four possible Opening directions.
The selected pieces are called Keys because they are used to open the game. Once both Keys have been placed outside the board, normal gameplay begins.
Important: After placing a Key outside the board, that player may not move the Key on their next turn. They must first make one normal move within the Main Play Area (MPA) before the Key becomes eligible to move again. This rule applies to any playing piece that moves outside the board during the game.
The methods by which an outside playing piece returns to the board are explained later under Return.
