Breakthrough was the winner of the 2001 8x8 Game Design Competition sponsored by Abstract Games Magazine and the Strategy Gaming Society.
 
The rules are simple:
Win by moving a piece to the opposite side.
Pieces move forward or diagonally forward and capture diagonally forward.
 
Because the pieces have no choice but to move forward, the game develops quickly. Draws are impossible.
 
The game is similar to a pawn promotion battle, except that the pieces move diagonally forward even when not capturing. This diagonal motion allows you to 'skirt' by an opponent piece by facing it head on, where it cannot capture you, and then moving diagonally around it.
As a result, a single piece cannot by itself prevent an opponent piece from 'breaking through' the ranks. When pieces are spaced out along diagonals, an opponent piece can easily skirt through them. Look for weak links in your opponent's defenses where a single piece to the rear is guarding two attack routes.
 
A more detailed discussion of strategy can be found in the "Strategy" section that comes with the game.
 
Breakthrough comes in 5x5, 6x6, 7x7 and 8x8 versions.
 
 
You should extract the game preserving path names.