A Standard Match is played up to 7 points (i.e. the first player to score 7 points is the winner). The match starts by playing an 'Initial Round', exactly as described above for Single Round play.

After the end of this first round (and subsequent rounds), two important things will happen:

A 'Sumo' (or 'Double Sumo') is Born!

The player who won the first (or previous) round places an octagonal 'Sumo ring' on the appropriate dragon tower (as described for a Standard Match). If the tower concerned has no rings on it already (i.e. it is an 'ordinary' tower), the largest size of Sumo ring is used.

But if the tower is already a Sumo tower, then a medium sized Sumo ring will be added, and this should drop down to settle on the next ledge up from the larger ring. This tower is now known as a 'Double Sumo' dragon tower (see below).

The Dragon Towers Regroup!

The towers are returned to each player's home row, ready for the next round.

This is done in exactly the same way as in each round of a Standard Match. The Defender has the choice of whether to fill from the left or the right, and then the Challenger must fill from the same direction as the Defender.

Double Sumo powers and restrictions

Rules remain the same as above for Sumo dragon towers. Extra Rules now apply to Double Sumo dragon towers :

• Rule DS1: A Double Sumo tower is stronger, but slower than a 'normal' dragon tower or a Sumo dragon tower. It may be moved up to a maximum of 3 spaces in a straight line, either directly forwards or diagonally forwards.

• Rule DS2: Because a Double Sumo tower is stronger than a normal tower or a Sumo tower, it may perform a 'Sumo push' on either one or two of the opponent's towers.

  For this to happen, the opponent's dragon tower(s) must, at the beginning of the player's turn, be on the square(s) immediately in front of the Double Sumo tower, and the opponent must have ended his/her previous move on a square whose color matches the color of the Double Sumo tower.

  When this happens, the player has the option of using a Sumo push on the opponent's tower(s). This means that the Double Sumo tower will move one space forwards, pushing the opponent's tower(s) one square backwards as it goes.

• Rule DS3: Immediately after the Sumo push, the opponent misses his/her turn, and the original player (i.e. the one who made the Sumo push) moves again straight away, using the dragon tower whose color matches the square that the opponent's tower was pushed onto.

  If two towers were pushed, the player uses the dragon tower that matches the color of square that the 'further' of the two dragon towers was pushed onto (i.e. it is always the color of the 'empty square' behind the 'pushed' towers that is significant - see also Rule DS5 below).

• Rule DS4: A Double Sumo cannot make Sumo pushes diagonally. The pushed piece(s) must be on the square(s) immediately in front of the Double Sumo, at the beginning of the turn when the push occurs.

• Rule DS5: There must be an empty square 'behind' the pushed piece(s) to allow the pieces to be pushed. The color of this square determines what color tower the player moves next, after his/her opponent has forfeited their next turn.

• Rule DS6: A Double Sumo cannot push a piece if that piece is on its home row (i.e. it cannot push a piece 'off the board').

  So if there are two of the opponent's towers directly in front of the Double Sumo, and the 'further' one is on its own home row, then no Sumo push can be made with that Double Sumo on that turn.

• Rule DS7: A Double Sumo cannot push more than two pieces backwards at the same time.

• Rule DS8: A Double Sumo cannot push another Double Sumo. However, it can push any two towers, provided that these towers are either 'ordinary' dragon towers, or Sumo towers. This means that it is capable of pushing (a maximum of) two Sumo towers backwards in one move.

Performing a 'Sumo Push' with a Double Sumo

Please refer to the section entitled 'Double Sumo powers and restrictions!' when looking at the "Sumo Push" examples provided below. Remember that the tower(s) to be pushed by the Double Sumo tower must be directly in front of the Double Sumo tower (Rule DS2), NOT diagonally in front (Rule DS4).

There must be an empty square 'behind' the pushed tower(s), for the tower(s) to be pushed into (Rule DS5). None of the towers to be pushed may be on their own home row (Rule DS6). The tower(s) to be pushed must be 'ordinary' dragon tower(s) or Sumo(s) (Rule DS8).

The tower(s) to be pushed must belong to the opponent (Rule S9).

Scoring System for a Long Match

A Long Match is played up to 7 points (i.e. the first player to score 7 points is the winner). Each time a round is won by either player, a Sumo ring is placed on the tower that reached the opponent's home row.

The first ring to be placed on a tower, marking that tower as a Sumo tower, is worth one point to its owner. However, the second ring to be placed on a tower, marking it as a 'Double Sumo' tower, is worth two points.

So if you reach your opponent's home row with a Sumo tower, it becomes a Double Sumo, worth a total of three points (one point for the first ring plus two points for the second ring).

If you reach your opponent's home row with a Double Sumo tower, then a third ring is added to this tower. This ring will be of the smallest size of Sumo ring, which it will sit at the top of the tower, interlinked with the tower's crenellations.

The tower is now a Triple Sumo, and the third ring placed on it is worth four points. So the total value of a Triple Sumo tower is seven points (one point for the first ring, two points for the second ring and four points for the third).

So the winner of a Long Match will be either:

• The first player to obtain seven separate Sumo dragon towers.

• The first person to be able to accumulate seven or more points from Sumo and Double Sumo dragon towers (remembering that Double Sumo towers are each worth three points in total).

• The first player to obtain a Triple Sumo tower, as a result of placing a Double Sumo tower on his/her opponent's home row.

Note: Please note that while it is possible to create a Triple Sumo tower in a Long Match, that match will be finished as soon as the third ring is added to the tower.

So Triple Sumos never get to play an active part in Long Matches, although they can play an important role in Marathon Matches (see below).

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