Variants and modifications

The players can regulate the pitch's shape in various ways by altering the pitch's dimensions or the placement of the gates. In some variants, one or more special lines may be added to the pitch. This modification is found in computer applications,^[6] and expanded variants of this modification are used by PDE Football.^[7]

In some variants, gameplay can be continued from the central pitch's point after a goal is scored or after a play is blocked. The player who did not score moves first from the central point.^[3] The game is finished when a move from the central point is not possible, and the player who scored the most goals wins.

Another variant allows a player to make a "bounce" during any turn if the line of that bounce would cross an existing diagonal line.^[8]

Another variant is Texas Soccer which allows no "X" marks to be made as the ball can no longer cross through a diagonal line.

Paper soccer (Russian variant)

This paper-and-pencil game also involves drawing lines to adjacent points on a grid and is distinguished by a larger play area and players extending the line to three points each turn. The line can change direction at each point but must not touch any existing line (there are no bounce moves). If a player becomes trapped and unable to draw this line, then their turn is forfeited and the opponent gets a "penalty kick". This special move is a straight line in any of the eight compass directions, extending six points, and is the only occasion that other lines may be crossed. If the penalty lands on an already-occupied point or there are less than three unoccupied points available to move, an additional penalty kick is earned. After six such penalties, if there are insufficient valid moves then the other player starts with a penalty kick. Some versions with very large grids have players extend the line through four points per turn and penalty kicks across 13 points.

The strategy involves blocking an opponent's potential moves, outmaneuvering the opponent at the edges of the field, and setting traps for penalty kicks in range of the opponent's goal. If a trap is not executed successfully, the opponent may be able to reverse it in an extreme move.^[13]

The game was popular in many parts of the former Soviet Union.^[13] Several Russian magazines describe the game^[14][15] and there are a number of computer versions as well.^{[13][16][17][18]}

xrSoccer

Published in 2005, xrSoccer is a computer game by eXtreme Results International Inc.^[19] It may be adapted to paper-and-pencil form for two players. It has common features with the previously described versions of paper soccer but gameplay generally differs.

The pitch is a 14 × 20 grid (13 × 19 points) with goal gates on the shorter sides. Starting from the center point, the line is extended to three points per turn. The line can touch occupied points and cross existing lines (there are no bounce moves) but cannot move along an existing line. If a player has no place to extend the line, the computer repositions the ball on the nearest unblocked point. This can be favourable when executed properly, as the ball is usually moved depending on the last direction of the line before it became blocked, and can be used to maneuver closer to the opponent's goal. After scoring a goal, the ball is reset to the center point and the game continues until all possible goals are scored.^[20]

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