Eson korgool

From Wikimanqala

Eson korgool
Eson khorgol, eson khorgool, eson xorgol
Played in: Mongolia
Shared pits
One cycle
Single lap
5 holes per row
Two rows

Eson korgool ("nine balls"), also spelled eson khorgol (and even found, misspelled, as eson xorgol), is played by the Kazakh minority in the area of Bajan Ögij in north-western Mongolia. The game was first described in 1963. Usually the holes are dug into the earth, but wooden boards are also known.

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 all the holes are shared.

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, 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. 

(1977) Wari et Solo: Le Jeu de Calcul Africain, Paris: Cedic.

Namzhildorzh, N. 

(1963) Mongolyn Togloom, Ulan Bator; (Volume I.): 85-102.