
- BGG rank
- BGG #149
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Patchwork
- 2 players
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2014

1969
Rules assistance for Pentomino
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Pentomino is a board game released in 1969 for 2 players, 10 minutes per game, and ages 7 and up. It was designed by Solomon W. Golomb and its main mechanics are Tile Placement.
Similar to Pan-Kai by Alex Randolph with two differences. Pentomino is played on a 8 x 8 grid and contains the 12 pentomino tiles plus 12 cards to distribute six pentominoes to each player before the game. Players now alternately place one piece per turn on the board, until no tile can be placed anymore. The player who placed more tiles than the other, wins. The original Pentominoes without the cards and tiles was solved by computers (http://www.msri.org/publications/books/Book29/files/orman.pdf); this version published by Zimpfer in 1969 contains 12 cards to randomly distribute the tiles between the players, making it an all new game.
Pentomino supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Pentomino is 10 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Pentomino for ages 7 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Pentomino belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy and Puzzle. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Pentomino are: Solomon W. Golomb. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Pentomino as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.