In the informational 21st century, everyone plays computer games: from young to old. A gaming device can be a PC, laptop, console, tablet or smartphone, and the game assortment already includes more than 80,000 items (according to Steam). Someone prefers complex strategies, someone prefers dynamic action games, and someone prefers logic puzzles. The latter are ideal for those who work at a computer and need periodic rest and distraction from important matters.
If you are tired of solitaire, chess, sapper and other "office" games, a good alternative is the game Chat Noir, which minimally loads the system and starts in a second. With a simple and uncomplicated interface, the application will become a real "tough nut" even for those who are used to solving logic puzzles. Catching a cat moving across the cells of the playing field is not at all as easy as it might seem at first glance, and the player must act like in chess: ahead of the opponent by several moves.
History of the game
The application was developed by the Japanese company Gamedesign, and its original name is Chat Noir, which is French for "black cat". Although the idea belongs to the Japanese, it is based on a much older game - go, which is considered to be the birthplace of China. Speaking of "it's hard to find a black cat in a dark room", the Chinese philosopher Confucius had no idea that after more than 2000 years this phrase would describe the traditional board game Go, modified in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Speaking of the board game Go, the "progenitor" of Chat Noir, it is worth noting that it was played together. One player had white stones and the other had black ones. They were used to "fence off" a larger playing area than the enemy. The playing field was a lined board - goban, which does not have to have a square shape. So, in ancient China they often played on rectangular boards with the number of cells from 11 × 11 to 17 × 17, less often from 30 × 30 to 40 × 40. Their format roughly corresponded to the proportion of 15:14, that is, the playing field was slightly elongated in one direction.
Over time, the stones were replaced by flat-convex carved chips, which today are made of plastic, metal, ceramics, glass, and even precious stones. The standard set for go includes 361 "stones" and a wooden board lined into squares. Additional (optional) game accessories also include a game clock (like a chess clock), and special vessels (bowls) with lids, in which the "captured" opponent's stones are placed.
From China to Japan
Historical records say that go became popular in Japan in the 15th century, having existed in China for over 2,000 years. The Japanese simplified the game and created a version that later became the basis for the Chat Noir application. In Europe and the USA, it has long been popular, and in Russia it is just beginning to gain fans. Players are primarily attracted by the simplicity of the application and the ability to practice logic well in trying to catch the elusive black cat. The benefits of Chat Noir also include:
- The versatility of tactical and strategic decisions. As in chess, here you can memorize and subsequently use especially effective combinations of moves.
- No accidents. When playing Chat Noir, you do not try your luck, and you can rely only on your logic, attentiveness and intelligence.
- A good mental workout. Studies have shown that playing traditional Go engages all major parts of the brain. Having adopted the basic rules from him, Chat Noir affects the central nervous system in the same way.
- 24/7 access from any device. The game tab launches instantly, and can close just as quickly, for example, if you don't want to be caught playing by colleagues or bosses.
As for the rules of the game, they are very simple: you need to surround the cat with obstacles (checkers - like in Go) so that he cannot leave the field. Moves are made in turn: first the player places a checker, and then the cat moves one cell, in an arbitrary direction. It is not easy to outwit him, and the first 10-20 attempts are unlikely to succeed. As in the game of tic-tac-toe, every move is important here, which at any moment can become a fatal mistake.
Despite the abundance of modern games with cinematic graphics and complex plots, traditional board games "ported" to PC are always popular with their loyal fans. Having tested your logic in the browser version of Chat Noir, you may diversify your leisure time with this simple, and at the same time difficult game, and become one of the millions of its fans!
