Night in shades of blue

The night still arrives at the end of the day. Day 24, Night 24, d.c., during confinement. A night in shades of Blue, not blue the colour, because outside is raining and the clouds are making it even darker, but blue as in the word for Azul, Michael Kiesling’s game.

It could have been a 4-way match, if one disregards the fact that the fourth element at home is a feline. And this one, as usual according to cats’ ways, quickly went from the initial curiosity about those rattling little pieces, almost begging to be pushed to the border of the table and beyond, onto the ground, to a certain analytical distancing from humans, with those looks of criticism and superiority, to finally, and after just a short time, fell asleep in the coziness, and in the appropriate confinement, of the game box. Everyone knows, by the way, that this is one of the main reasons for games to come in boxes.

And therefore, we were three to play, me and my two companions for these times, making time for one of our common favourite hobbies, always present throughout our lives, even if in varying doses depending on time availability and moods.

The choice for the night fell on Azul, acquired just over a year ago and which quickly became one of the most frequent on the table. It is a beautiful game, developed under the artistic direction of Philippe Guérin, with a set of pieces that you really want to handle, with almost zero setup time and straightforward rules. More tactical at two players, recalling variations on the game of Nim, it is a little more unpredictable at three and, above all, at four players, since each choice of a set of tiles will condition the following players, so that much can change until your turn arrives.

The goal: to obtain the largest number of points throughout the game, by strategically laying tiles, and as final bonuses, by completing certain patterns (complete rows, complete columns, sets of five tiles of the same type).

Today, it's another day. Here are some pictures of yesterday.

In shades of blue and white: a classic.

A lot available at the factory, make your pick.

Covering the wall surface.

"Hmmmm ... don't think that's the best option."