Sixteen Soldiers
Encyclopedia
Sixteen Soldiers is a two-player abstract strategy board game
from Sri Lanka
. It also comes from India
under the name Cows and Leopards. The game is similar to draughts
and Alquerque
as players hop over one another's pieces to capture them. However, unlike draughts and standard Alquerque, the game is played on an expanded Alquerque board consisting of four triangular boards attached to the four sides of an Alquerque board. Also, pieces can move and capture in any direction from the beginning. There is no promotion to King. Its actual closest relatives are Peralikatuma
and Kotu Ellima
which are also from the Indian subcontinent. The only real difference between these three closely related games is the number of pieces. In Sixteen Soldiers, each player has 16 pieces hence the name of the game. In Peralikatuma, each player has 23 pieces. In Kotu Ellima, each player has 24 pieces. Sixteen Soldiers is also related to the Indonesian game of Permainan-Tabal
.
2. Each players pieces are initially set up on the first four ranks of their side of the board.
3. A piece moves one space per turn in any direction following the pattern on the board onto an unoccupied point on the board.
4. A piece can capture an enemy piece in any direction by the short leap as in draughts or Alquerque. The player's piece must be adjacent to the enemy piece, and leap over it onto a vacant point on the other side. The leap must be in a straight line following the pattern on the board. The same piece can continue to capture and even change direction to capture provided capturing requirements are satisfied. Captures are compulsory. A piece must continue to capture if it is able to do so. Captured pieces are removed from the board.
5. If a player does not capture any enemy piece during their turn, but was actually able to do so, then the other player removes that piece that failed to make its capture from the board. If there is more than one piece to choose from, any one will do. The piece is said to be "huffed", and then removed.
6. If a player has more than one option to capture, then the player can choose any one (and only one) of them.
, Kotu Ellima
, Permainan-Tabal
, draughts
, Alquerque
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. It also comes from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
under the name Cows and Leopards. The game is similar to draughts
Draughts
Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque...
and Alquerque
Alquerque
Alquerque is a strategy board game that is thought to have originated in the Middle East. It is considered to have been the parent of draughts and Fanorona.-History:...
as players hop over one another's pieces to capture them. However, unlike draughts and standard Alquerque, the game is played on an expanded Alquerque board consisting of four triangular boards attached to the four sides of an Alquerque board. Also, pieces can move and capture in any direction from the beginning. There is no promotion to King. Its actual closest relatives are Peralikatuma
Peralikatuma
Peralikatuma is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Sri Lanka. It is a game related to draughts and Alquerque as players hop over one another's pieces when capturing them. But its actual closest relatives are Sixteen Soldiers and Kotu Ellima which are also games from the Indian...
and Kotu Ellima
Kotu Ellima
Kotu Ellima is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Sri Lanka and India. The game is similar to draughts and Alquerque as players hop over one another's pieces to capture them. However, unlike draughts and standard Alquerque, the game is played on an expanded Alquerque board consisting...
which are also from the Indian subcontinent. The only real difference between these three closely related games is the number of pieces. In Sixteen Soldiers, each player has 16 pieces hence the name of the game. In Peralikatuma, each player has 23 pieces. In Kotu Ellima, each player has 24 pieces. Sixteen Soldiers is also related to the Indonesian game of Permainan-Tabal
Permainan-Tabal
Permainan-Tabal is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Indonesia specifically from the island of Java. The game is sometimes referred to as a cross between Alquerque and Draughts. It is essentially Draughts played on an expanded Alquerque board...
.
Equipment
An expanded Alquerque board is used. Four triangle boards are attached to the center of the four sides of an Alquerqe board. Each player has 16 pieces. One player has the white pieces, and the other has the black pieces, however, any two colors or distinguishable objects will do. Pieces are played on the intersection points of the board.Game Play and Rules
1. Players decide what colors to play, and who starts first. Players alternate their turns, and only use one piece to either move or capture per turn.2. Each players pieces are initially set up on the first four ranks of their side of the board.
3. A piece moves one space per turn in any direction following the pattern on the board onto an unoccupied point on the board.
4. A piece can capture an enemy piece in any direction by the short leap as in draughts or Alquerque. The player's piece must be adjacent to the enemy piece, and leap over it onto a vacant point on the other side. The leap must be in a straight line following the pattern on the board. The same piece can continue to capture and even change direction to capture provided capturing requirements are satisfied. Captures are compulsory. A piece must continue to capture if it is able to do so. Captured pieces are removed from the board.
5. If a player does not capture any enemy piece during their turn, but was actually able to do so, then the other player removes that piece that failed to make its capture from the board. If there is more than one piece to choose from, any one will do. The piece is said to be "huffed", and then removed.
6. If a player has more than one option to capture, then the player can choose any one (and only one) of them.
Related Games
PeralikatumaPeralikatuma
Peralikatuma is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Sri Lanka. It is a game related to draughts and Alquerque as players hop over one another's pieces when capturing them. But its actual closest relatives are Sixteen Soldiers and Kotu Ellima which are also games from the Indian...
, Kotu Ellima
Kotu Ellima
Kotu Ellima is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Sri Lanka and India. The game is similar to draughts and Alquerque as players hop over one another's pieces to capture them. However, unlike draughts and standard Alquerque, the game is played on an expanded Alquerque board consisting...
, Permainan-Tabal
Permainan-Tabal
Permainan-Tabal is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Indonesia specifically from the island of Java. The game is sometimes referred to as a cross between Alquerque and Draughts. It is essentially Draughts played on an expanded Alquerque board...
, draughts
Draughts
Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque...
, Alquerque
Alquerque
Alquerque is a strategy board game that is thought to have originated in the Middle East. It is considered to have been the parent of draughts and Fanorona.-History:...
External links
- http://files.boardgamegeek.com/geekfile_view.php?fileid=24957
- http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/ufa10/game1.htm
- http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz/Zillions/swiCowLeo.gif&imgrefurl=http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz/swindex5.html&h=120&w=120&sz=3&hl=en&start=38&um=1&usg=__AqXilKUuP0a6WYkCo_NrtgXPhgY=&tbnid=aOkInAWL4-OHHM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=88&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsixteen%2Bsoldiers%2Bboard%2Bgame%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
- http://www.manqala.org/wiki/index.php/Llibret/Alquerc