Igisoro
Encyclopedia
Igisoro is a two player game in the mancala
family. It is a variant of the Omweso
game of the Baganda
people (Uganda
), and it is played primarily in Burundi
and Rwanda
. Igisoro, like Omweso and other mancalas from Eastern Africa such as Bao
, is played with an 4×8 board of pits and 64 seeds. A player's territory is the two rows of pits closest to them.
However, any or both players may decide to start by seeds in fore row, or some seeds in fore and other in back row depending on the wish
of the player.
At the end of a turn, there are two ways in which the players turn may continue:
Only for a direct pick or catch, a player starting from, or arriving at the pits highlighted in yellow below may choose to move counter-clockwise. When s/he starts from any other pit, s/he may only move counter-clockwise.
Mancala
Mancala is a family of board games played around the world, sometimes called "sowing" games, or "count-and-capture" games, which describes the game-play. Mancala games play a role in many African and some Asian societies comparable to that of chess in the West, or the game of Go in Eastern Asia...
family. It is a variant of the Omweso
Omweso
Omweso is the traditional mancala game of the Ugandan people. The game was supposedly introduced by the Bachwezi people of the ancient Bunyoro-kitara empire of Uganda. Nowadays the game is dominated by Ugandan villagers. It is a very hard and fast game said to keep one's mind high and ever...
game of the Baganda
Baganda
The Ganda are an ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally comprising 52 tribes the Ganda have a rich history and culture...
people (Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
), and it is played primarily in Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
and Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. Igisoro, like Omweso and other mancalas from Eastern Africa such as Bao
BAO
BAO may refer to:* Baccalaureus in Arte Obstetricia, Bachelor of Obstetrics, a medical degree unique to Ireland.* Baryon acoustic oscillations, a signature of the early universe observed in galaxy surveys.* Benny Anderssons Orkester* Bullets And Octane...
, is played with an 4×8 board of pits and 64 seeds. A player's territory is the two rows of pits closest to them.
Start
The starting position is shown below; Each player starts with 4 seeds in each pit in the back row of their territory.However, any or both players may decide to start by seeds in fore row, or some seeds in fore and other in back row depending on the wish
of the player.
Turns
On his turn, a player chooses a pit containing seeds in their territory and sows them placing one seed in each pit as s/he moves counter-clockwise around his territory. The board below shows the state after the first player chose to move the seeds from the pit highlighted in yellow.At the end of a turn, there are two ways in which the players turn may continue:
- If the pit where the last seed is sown is not empty, the player picks up all seeds from this pit and begins to sow again, starting from the next pit.
- If the pit where the last seed is sown is not empty and both opponent's opposite pits are not empty, the player may pick up all seeds from these two pits and begins to sow again. When the player chooses to pick up his opponents seeds, the sowing begins again from the pit where the player originally began his or her turn, thus sowing seeds in the same pits as the original move.
- If the player in his turn chooses not to pick up his opponents seeds, he has to say it: "I pass" (ndahise). To which the opponent may reply "I retreat" (ndakubye). Then immediately retreats the seeds that were not picked. The player retreats his/her seeds by picking the seeds in her/his pit at the front row and adding them to his/her adjacent pit in the last row, this is done while the other player is still sowing.
Only for a direct pick or catch, a player starting from, or arriving at the pits highlighted in yellow below may choose to move counter-clockwise. When s/he starts from any other pit, s/he may only move counter-clockwise.