Yoté Strategy: 5 Tips

Yoté punishes loose pieces twice over. Rules first? See how to play.

1. Reserves win

Pieces in hand are untouchable. Place a few to control space, then keep the rest until a placement wins a tempo: blocking a jump, or landing where it can jump next turn.

2. Nothing jumpable

A piece is jumpable when an enemy stands beside it and the square beyond is empty. Before every move, check your pieces for that shape; a jump costs you two pieces, not one.

3. Spend the bonus well

After a jump, take the enemy piece that threatens your most exposed piece, or the one that holds their formation together, not just the nearest.

4. Bait

Offer a piece that can be jumped only by landing on a square where you can jump back. Because each jump costs the victim two pieces, trades are rarely even: make sure you are the one taking the bonus.

5. Count the endgame

With few pieces, the side with more reserves can often force the opponent to run out of safe moves. Trade down only when ahead on the combined count of board plus hand.

The hard computer searches three plies (four with few pieces), valuing pieces in hand almost as much as pieces on the board; normal two; easy jumps whenever it can.

Last updated 2026-10-21