Afrika (German for: "Africa") was invented on March 2, 2004, by Ralf Gering in Bad Breisig, Germany. The game was added to Super Duper Games on November 2, 2006.
This modern mancala game has several unusual features:
- capturing is compulsory
- capturing is considered a complete move
- capturing occurs when you have an empty hole
Rules
Afrika is played on a board with 2x8=16 holes. Initially, there are 8 stones (the author takes black Go stones) in each hole.
Play is counterclockwise and single-lap.
If you have no empty holes which are opposite to a non-empty hole of your opponent, you distribute the contents of one of your holes, one by one, into the following holes. If there are enough stones, the starting hole is skipped. Then your turn ends without anything being captured.
If you have an empty hole which is opposite to a non-empty hole of your opponent, you must capture its contents. If more than one capture is possible, you can capture the contents of only one hole per move. You must capture the hole which contains the smallest number of stones, but if there are several holes with the same minimum number, you decide which contents you take first. If you can capture, you must capture. You may not distribute the contents of a hole and capture in the same turn.
The game ends when the board is empty. At Super Duper Games the game ends when one player has reached 65 points, but this is not an official rule.
The player gaining the largest number of stones is accounted the winner.
Recommendations for good play
The following tactics and strategies are well-known:
- Sacrifices and forced moves are crucial for winning the game.
- At the end of the game, players try to have their stones in their right-most holes and to move them to their opponent's side.