Eson Khorgol → Portuguese.
| Eson Khorgol |
| Other Names: Eson Xorgol |
| First Description: N. Namzhildorzh, 1963 |
| Cycles: One |
| Ranks: Two |
| Sowing: Single laps |
| Region: Mongolia |
Eson Khorgol (Mongolian: "nine balls"), also spelled Eson Xorgol, is a mancala game, which is played by the Kazakh minority in the aimag (province) of Bayan Ölgii in north-western Mongolia. The game was first described in 1963. Usually the holes are dug into the earth, but wooden boards also exist.
Rules
The game is played on a board that has two rows of five holes each, although it could be played on a circular board, as the holes are shared by both players.
At the start of the game each hole contains nine dung balls, hence the name of the game.
Initial Position
On his turn a player picks up the contents of any hole on either side of the board and then distributes its balls in a clockwise direction (known as the direction of the sun or the male direction in Central Asia) one by one into the following holes.
A move ends after a single lap.
If the last ball is dropped into a non-empty hole and the following hole is empty, the contents of the next hole are captured.
Captures can be effected on either side of the board.
The game ends when no balls can be captured anymore.
The player who captured more balls than his opponent is the winner.
References
- Deledicq, A. & Popova, A.
- Wari et Solo: Le Jeu de Calcul Africain. Cedic, Paris (France) 1977.
- Namzhildorzh, N.
- Mongolyn Togloom. Ulan Bator (Mongolia) 1963 (Volume I.): 85-102.
Copyright
© Wikimanqala.
By: Ralf Gering
Under the CC by-sa 2.5 license.