Tap-urdy
From Wikimanqala
Tap-urdy
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|---|
| Played in: Turkmenistan |
| One cycle |
| 6 holes per row |
| Two rows |
Tap-urdy is a Turkmen mancala game that was first described in 1977 by Assia Popova and André Deledicq.
The board is dug into the ground, which is a common practice among pastoral people in Asia and Africa. The counters are made from sheep feces.
Tap-urdy seems to be influenced by Indian mancala games.
Rules
Tap-urdy is played on a board which consists of two rows of six holes each. Initially there are four dung balls in every hole.
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| Initial position |
The right to start the game is decided by casting lots.
At each turn a player empties an enemy hole (the six on the other side of the board) and distributes its contents counterclockwise, one by one, into succeeding holes. If the last ball is placed into an occupied hole the contents of this hole is distributed in another lap.
The turn ends if the last ball of a lap falls into an empty hole.
If a lap ends in an occupied hole, followed by an empty one, the contents of the following hole are captured and removed from the board.
The game ends when one side of the board is empty.
The winner is the player who has captured most balls.
Comments on the rules
According to the rules given by Deledicq and Popova the game would end if, after a player's move, any side would become empty, even if the opponent could move, but probably, comparing with other games, the game ends when, at his turn, a player can not move.
It is not said if, after capturing anything, the move keeps on (the last ball was sown into an occupied hole). It would be really strange, and quite unique between mancala games.
It could really be that the game is even more related to many Indian mancala games and the sowing would so be pussa-kanawa style. It is, the next lap would not begin with the contents of the last hole sown on previous lap, but from the next one.
References
- Deledicq, A. & Popova, A.
- (1977) Wari et Solo: Le Jeu de Calcul Africain, Paris: Cedic.
