Mu Torere

Opening Position

Alternate Names

Mū Tōrere

No. of Players

Two

Equipment

There are many different styles of boards for which this game is played on, but they do not vary in their similarity to an eight-pointed star. All have eight outer positions, called kewai, that are adjacent to the two neighboring outer positions and the one central position, which is adjacent to all. The central position is called the pūtahi. This game could here be played on the Achi board, the Circular Mill board, or the Shisima board. Also required for play are four each of black and white counters, traditionally called perepere.

History

This is the only board game known to have originated from the Maoris of New Zealand. Its first known description to the west was given by R.C. Bell who states that it appears to have been played mainly on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, by the Ngati Porou tribe. The Ngāti Haua chief Wiremu Tamihana Te Waharoa reputedly offered a game to Governor George Grey with the whole country going to the winner, but Grey declined.

Objective

A player loses the game when it is their turn and they have no legal moves available to them. Conversely, a player wins by blockading all he counters of his opponent.

Play

Commencing with all of the counters on the board, as above, alternate turns entail the movement of any single friendly counter to the adjacent vacant position. A counter may only be moved to the central putahi when one or both of the arms adjacent to it is occupied by an enemy counter.

Strategy

A victory may only be obtained when a player has a counter positioned at the central putahi. Bell’s outlining of the following crucial positions of the game bears repeating:

It is white’s turn to move and he has the choice of 1-8 or 7-8. But the move 7-8 will be fatal, because black will answer with 6-7. The chief characteristic of this situation is the V shape formed by black counters at 5, 6, and center. This V must not be allowed to split open.

The situation here is effectively the same but not so obvious. It is white’s move with the choice of 2-3 or 4-3. The move 2-3, however, will be followed by 1-2, 8-1, and 7-8, opening the V and winning again. There is an unavoidable circular movement around the edge of the board.

Note that this only applies to the variation described below. It is white’s move with a choice of 4-5 or center-5. If he moves center-5, black will reply with 7-center (illegal in some variations) and win the game. Possession of the putahi is essential to any victory.

Variations

The restriction that only allows a counter to move to the central position when flanked by at least one enemy counter is sometimes observed only for the first two moves of each player.

Sources

1. Pentagames. Compiled by Pentagram. 1990. Fireside, Simon & Schuster Inc. ISBN 0-671-72529-7.