Morabaraba

Morabaraba is a traditional board game played in South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho. It is popular in rural areas, and the counters are called "cows". Mind Sports South Africa is the official organisation for the game and there are tournaments at regional, national and international level.

How to play Morabaraba

Placing the cows

• Each player has 12 pieces, known as "cows"; in two different colours.
• Each player in turn places a cow on an empty circle on the board.
• The aim is to create a "mill": a row of three cows on a line drawn on the board.
• If a player forms a mill, he or she may remove or "shoot" one of the opponent's cows. The shot cow is removed from the board and not placed again. A cow in a mill may not be shot unless all of the opponent's cows are in mills, in which case any cow may be shot.
• Even if a move creates more than one mill, only one cow can be shot in a single move.

Moving the cows

• After all the cows have been placed, each turn consists of moving a cow to an empty adjacent circle.
• As before, completing a mill allows a player to shoot one of the opponent's cows. Again, this must be a cow which is not in a mill, unless all of the opponent's cows are in mills.
• Players are allowed to break their own mills.
• A mill may be broken and remade repeatedly by shuffling cows back and forth. Each time the mill is remade, one of the opponent's cows is shot. Of course, by breaking the mill the player exposes the cows which were in a mill to the risk of being shot by the opponent on his or her next turn.
• A mill which is broken to form a new mill can't be formed again on the next move. (i.e. you must have an intermediate turn before forming another mill).

Flying the cows

• When a player has only three cows remaining, desperate measures are called for. This player's cows are allowed to "fly" to any empty circle, not just adjacent ones.
• If one player has three cows and the other player has more than three cows, only the player with three cows is allowed to fly.

Finishing the game

• You win if your opponent cannot move.
• You win if your opponent has just two cows.
• If either player has only three cows and neither player shoots a cow within ten moves, the game is drawn.
• If one person cheats, then the other one wins by default.

Variations

The board traditionally used in and around Lesotho is slightly different. You can see it in the photo. There are no diagonals, and there is an extra circle in the centre of the square.

See also

• How to play Mancala
• Cub Indigenous Games Badge