A Marathon Match is played up to 15 points (i.e. the first player to score 15 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' or 'Triple 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 or Long 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.

If the tower is already a Double Sumo tower, then a small sized Sumo ring will be added, and this should sit at the top of the tower, interlinked with the crenellations on the tower. This tower is now known as a 'Triple 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 or Long 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.

Triple Sumo powers and restrictions

Rules remain the same as above for Sumo and Double Sumo dragon towers Extra Rules now apply for Triple Sumo dragon towers :

• Rule TS1: A Triple Sumo tower is stronger, but slower than a 'normal' dragon tower, a Sumo dragon tower or a Double Sumo dragon tower. It may be moved one space only, either directly forwards or diagonally forwards.

• RuleTS2: Because a Triple Sumo tower is stronger than a normal tower, a Sumo tower, or a Double Sumo tower, it may perform a 'Sumo push' on either one, two or three 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 Triple Sumo tower, and the opponent must have ended his/her previous move on a square whose color matches the color of the Triple 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 Triple Sumo tower will move one space forwards, pushing the opponent's tower(s) one square backwards as it goes.

• RuleTS3: 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 or three towers were pushed, the player uses the dragon tower that matches the color of square that the 'furthest' of the dragon towers was pushed onto (i.e. it is always the color of the 'empty square' behind the 'pushed' towers that is significant

• Rule TS4: A Triple Sumo cannot make Sumo pushes diagonally. The pushed piece(s) must be on the square(s) immediately in front of the Triple Sumo, at the beginning of the turn when the push occurs. Rule TS5: 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 TS6: A Triple 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 or three of the opponent's towers directly in front of the Triple Sumo, and the 'furthest' one is on its own home row, then no Sumo push can be made with that Triple Sumo on that turn.

• Rule TS7: A Triple Sumo cannot push more than three pieces backwards at the same time.

• Rule TS8: A Triple Sumo cannot push another Triple Sumo. However, it can push two or even three towers, provided that these towers are either 'ordinary' dragon towers, Sumo towers or Double Sumo towers.

  This means that it is capable of pushing (a maximum of) three Double Sumo towers backwards in one move.

Performing a 'Sumo Push' with a Triple Sumo

Please refer to the section entitled 'Triple Sumo powers and restrictions!' when looking at the "Sumo Push" examples provided below. Remember that the tower(s) to be pushed by the Triple Sumo tower must be directly in front of the Triple Sumo tower (Rule TS2), NOT diagonally in front (Rule TS4).

There must be an empty square 'behind' the pushed tower(s), for the tower(s) to be pushed into (Rule TS5). None of the towers to be pushed may be on their own home row (Rule TS6). The tower(s) to be pushed must be 'ordinary' dragon tower(s), Sumos or Double Sumos (Rule TS8).

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

Scoring System for a Marathon Match

A Marathon Match is played up to 15 points (i.e. the first player to score 15 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))..

If you reach your opponent's home row with a Triple Sumo tower, you will score an extra eight points, and automatically win the match (a Triple Sumo is already worth seven points, so this tower alone will score you the required fifteen points)

So the winner of a Marathon Match will be either:

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

• The first player to place a Triple Sumo tower on his/her opponent's home row.

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