Rithmomachia: An Academic Proposal of Rules

Abstract

This paper is a proposal of a set of rules for the medieval math game
of Rithmomachia. The set we introduce results from the reading and
interpretation of the rules from several medieval manuals. The primary
source is the manual of Ralph Lever and William Fulke from 1556
that is found in the appendix of Moyer [4]. As a result of testing and
studying the rules, we introduce a new rule that we coin the Innocent
Delivery. No rules of Rithmomachia are denitive due to the dierent
ways of capturing pieces as well as the game's ending. We oer this
proposal a starting point for further academic discussion and testing
of a future set of simplied rules in the hopes of a denitive set of rules
for future Rithmomachia players..