[1] The game features a shrinking board and an object that promotes sacrifice combinations.

It is impartial: since neither player owns on-board pieces, maintaining the initiative is of fundamental importance.

The GIPF Set 2 expansion includes 12 additional rings, which can be used for larger game boards.

Advanced and tournament players use up to 61 rings, which requires acquisition of a GIPF Set 2 expansion.

[2] Players place the rings on a flat surface and arrange them as a packed hexagon, as regularly as possible.

In addition, sacrifices are used to arrange pieces and gain time in preparation for capture by isolation.

Frequently a game will end with one player forcing the other to repeatedly jump, gaining time to win with a capture by isolation.

In this case, the goal is to capture only a majority of one set (three whites, four grays, or five blacks), or two of each color.