How it is played
Morabaraba
- The board is three squares, one inside another, joined by lines. Each player has twelve pieces.
- Take turns placing a piece on an empty point. Three of yours in a line, a mill, lets you remove one of your opponent's pieces that is not in a mill.
- When all the pieces are down, take turns sliding a piece along a line to the next empty point. Every new mill takes another piece.
- With only three pieces left, you may jump to any empty point. Bring your opponent down to two pieces to win.
As Ludii ↗ records it, a research database of traditional games. Rules differ from place to place, and players know them best.
Where it is played, and what it is called
| Name | Played in | What the sources say | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morabaraba also Umlabalaba, Mmela | South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini | Played competitively in South Africa and Lesotho under tournament rules. | africanpedia.com ↗ ludii.games ↗ |
| Koti also Moraba-raba | Lesotho | A 25-point board with a live centre point and its own capture rules. Lesotho's police included Moraba-raba in their indigenous games programme. | morabaraba.co.za ↗ lena.gov.ls ↗ |
| Sidjé also Dalley, Yaré, Gouzzi | Chad | Thirty holes dug in sand, five by six, and twelve pieces each; lining up three scores. Reported in 2014 as Chad's most popular traditional game. | aa.com.tr ↗ |
How sure are we
- Names and places: each one has a source
- Rules: from a research database, not yet from players
- Checked with players: not yet
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