Murabaraba

The game commences with the Murabarba board, shown above, vacant of counters.

No. of Players

Two

Equipment

A Murabaraba board and twelve each of black and white counters are required for play.

History

Murabaraba originates from Lesotho and South Africa and is popular there today. The board for play is often marked on a large flat stone in the village square.

Objective

The objective is to reduce your opponent’s counters from twelve to two or to immobilize your opponent’s counters so that they are unable to make a legal move.

Play

After deciding which player will go first, the first stage of the game commences with players taking turns placing one counter of their color at any vacant node on the board. There is no movement of counters until all 24 have been placed. At any point when a player achieves three of their counters in a row along any line, called a strike, that player may then remove one of his opponent’s counters from the board. The captured counter is no longer used in that game. A line of three that ends in the center node of the board is not a strike and a player who makes this line is not entitled to remove an opponent’s counter. Note that a player may make two strikes by placing a single counter, in which case that player may then remove two of their opponent’s counters. During the placing stage of the game, a player who has two counters in a row must complete the strike on the next move, if possible. If the player can, but does not, complete his or her strike on the next turn, the opponent may remove any two of this player’s counters from the board. This rule only applies during the placing stage of the game. After the first stage, the turns then entail moving a single counter to any adjacent, vacant node on the board along a line. There is no jumping of counters.

Strategy

Variations

Sources