Unee tugaluulax
From Wikimanqala
Unee tugaluulax
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|---|
| Played in: Mongolia |
| One cycle |
| Single lap |
| 3 holes per row |
| Two rows |
Unee tugaluulax ("let the cows calve"), also spelled unee tugaluulah, is a mancala game played by Kazakhs in western Mongolia near the Chinese border. It was described by Namzhildorzh in 1963 for the first time. Although a very small board is used, the game is challenging for humans (not so much for computers) because it usually takes more than 150 moves. Draws are not possible.
Rules
The game is played on a board (khölög) of 2 x 3 = 6 holes. Initially each hole contains six dungballs (khorgol), excrements of camels, goats and sheep are recommended.
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| Initial Position |
At his turn a player distributes the contents of one of his holes, one by one, in a clockwise direction (viewed as the male direction in Mongolia). The first ball must be dropped into the succeeding hole.
If the last ball is dropped into one of your own holes which then contains four balls, you capture the contents (four balls).
The game ends when a player cannot move. The balls, which are still on the board, are captured by the last player who was able to move.
The player with most balls wins.
Some specific terms
- A hole with one ball: ünee ("cow")
- A hole with two balls: bux ünee khojor ("cow and bull")
- A hole with three balls: ünee delegnene ("cow with inflated udder")
- A hole with four balls: ünee tugalsan ("cow which has calved")
References
- Namzhildorzh, N.
- (1963) Mongolyn Togloom. Ulan Bator (Volume I.): 85-102.
- Popova, A.
- (1974) 'Analyse Formelle et Classification des Jeux de Calculs Mongols', in Études Mongoles et Sibériennes; 5: 7-60.
