Mangala
Mangala is a family of board games sometimes called "sowing" games, or "count-and-capture" games, both terms describe the gameplay. The word mangala means literally "to move".
Most mangala games share a common general game play. Players begin by placing a certain number of seeds, assigned for the particular game, in each of the pits on the game board. A player may count their stones to plot the game. A turn consists of removing all seeds from a pit, "sowing" the seeds (placing one in each of the following pits in sequence) and capturing based on the state of board. This refers to the English phrase "count and capture" sometimes used to describe the gameplay.
Equipment
Equipment is typically a board, constructed of various materials, with a series of holes arranged in usually two rows. The materials include clay and other shape-able materials. Some games are more often played with holes dug in the earth, or carved in stone. The holes may be referred to as "depressions", "pits", or "houses". Sometimes, large holes on the ends of the board, called stores, are used for holding the pieces.
Playing pieces are seeds, beans, stones, cowry shells, half-marbles or other small undifferentiated counters that are placed in and transferred about the holes during play.
With a two-rank board, players usually are considered to control their respective sides of the board, although moves often are made into the opponent's side.
Objective
The objective of two- row mangala games is to capture more stones than the opponent.
At the beginning of a player's turn, they select a hole with seeds that will be sown around the board. This selection is often limited to holes on the current player's side of the board, as well as holes with a certain minimum number of seeds. In a process known as sowing, all the seeds from a hole are dropped one-by-one into subsequent holes in a motion wrapping around the board. Sowing is an apppropriate name for this activity, since not only are many games traditionally played with seeds, but placing seeds one at a time in different holes reflects the physical act of sowing. If the sowing action stops after dropping the last seed, the game is considered a single lap game.
Capturing
Depending on the last hole sown in a lap, a player may capture stones from the board. The exact requirements for capture, as well as what is done with captured stones, vary considerably among games. Typically, a capture requires sowing to end in a hole with a certain number of stones, ending across the board from stones in specific configurations, or landing in an empty hole adjacent to an opponent's hole that contains one or more pieces.
Another common way of capturing is to capture the stones that reach a certain number of seeds at any moment.
Also, several games include the notion of capturing holes, and thus all seeds sown on a captured hole belong at the end of the game to the player who captured it.
Mangala is an ancient family of board games, and there are numerous variants. This is a version of the basic game, known as two-rank Mangala and also known as Kalah.
Time Required: 15 minutes
Here's How:
Tips:
Planning is essential to win in board games like Mangala. Try to plan two or three moves ahead.
Most mangala games share a common general game play. Players begin by placing a certain number of seeds, assigned for the particular game, in each of the pits on the game board. A player may count their stones to plot the game. A turn consists of removing all seeds from a pit, "sowing" the seeds (placing one in each of the following pits in sequence) and capturing based on the state of board. This refers to the English phrase "count and capture" sometimes used to describe the gameplay.
Equipment
Equipment is typically a board, constructed of various materials, with a series of holes arranged in usually two rows. The materials include clay and other shape-able materials. Some games are more often played with holes dug in the earth, or carved in stone. The holes may be referred to as "depressions", "pits", or "houses". Sometimes, large holes on the ends of the board, called stores, are used for holding the pieces.
Playing pieces are seeds, beans, stones, cowry shells, half-marbles or other small undifferentiated counters that are placed in and transferred about the holes during play.
With a two-rank board, players usually are considered to control their respective sides of the board, although moves often are made into the opponent's side.
Objective
The objective of two- row mangala games is to capture more stones than the opponent.
At the beginning of a player's turn, they select a hole with seeds that will be sown around the board. This selection is often limited to holes on the current player's side of the board, as well as holes with a certain minimum number of seeds. In a process known as sowing, all the seeds from a hole are dropped one-by-one into subsequent holes in a motion wrapping around the board. Sowing is an apppropriate name for this activity, since not only are many games traditionally played with seeds, but placing seeds one at a time in different holes reflects the physical act of sowing. If the sowing action stops after dropping the last seed, the game is considered a single lap game.
Capturing
Depending on the last hole sown in a lap, a player may capture stones from the board. The exact requirements for capture, as well as what is done with captured stones, vary considerably among games. Typically, a capture requires sowing to end in a hole with a certain number of stones, ending across the board from stones in specific configurations, or landing in an empty hole adjacent to an opponent's hole that contains one or more pieces.
Another common way of capturing is to capture the stones that reach a certain number of seeds at any moment.
Also, several games include the notion of capturing holes, and thus all seeds sown on a captured hole belong at the end of the game to the player who captured it.
Mangala is an ancient family of board games, and there are numerous variants. This is a version of the basic game, known as two-rank Mangala and also known as Kalah.
Time Required: 15 minutes
Here's How:
- The Mangala 'board' is made up of two rows of six holes, or pits, each.
- Four pieces -- marbles or stones -- are placed in each of the 12 holes. The color of the pieces is irrelevant.
- Each player has a 'store' on the right side of the Mangala board.
- The game begins with one player picking up all of the pieces in any one of the holes on his side.
- Moving counter-clockwise, the player deposits one of the stones in each hole until the stones run out.
- If the player runs into his own store, he deposits one piece in it. If he runs into his opponent's store, he skips it.
- If the last piece the player drops is in his own store, he gets a free turn.
- If the last piece the player drops is in an empty hole on his side, he captures that piece and any pieces in the hole directly opposite.
- The player should always place all captured pieces in his store.
- The game ends when all six spaces on one side of the Mangala board are empty.
- The player who still has pieces on his side of the board when the game ends captures all of those pieces.
- Count all pieces in each store. The winner is the player with the most pieces.
Tips:
Planning is essential to win in board games like Mangala. Try to plan two or three moves ahead.
You can try Mangala online. Just click below to play.