About

Togyz Kumalak (Nine Pebbles) is a traditional Kazakh mancala game.

Rules

• The board consists of two rows of 9 pits (holes) layout. Each player owns the row nearest to them.
• Each pit initially contains 9 balls (kumalaks). Total 162 balls.
• The goal is to capture more balls than the opponent into your Kazan (treasury). Winning requires > 81 balls.

Gameplay

1. Players take turns selecting a pit on their side that creates balls.
2. All balls are picked up.
3. If there is only 1 ball, it is moved to the next pit.
4. If >1, one ball is left in the starting pit, and others are distributed one by one counter-clockwise.
5. If the last ball falls into an opponent's pit and makes the count EVEN, those balls are captured into your Kazan.
6. If the last ball falls into an opponent's pit and makes the count 3, it becomes a Tuzdyk (Sacred Pit). All balls falling here belong to the Tuzdyk owner.