Description

Katra Mpantsaka (mpantsaka from tsaka "limited") is a mancala game played by the Sakalava people, which occupy the Western edge of the Madagascar from Toliara in the south to Sambirano in the north.

The game is typically played on a 4x8 board with 2 seeds in each hole, but it has also been described on 4x4 and 4x6 boards and with 3 seeds in each hole.

On his turn a player takes the contents of one of his holes and distributes them, one by one, either clockwise or counterclockwise into consecutive holes around the two rows of his own side. (For the remainder of the turn the direction of sowing may not be changed during a turn).

If the last stone falls into a non-empty hole, its contents are distributed in another lap continuing in the same direction as before.

The first lap must be started with an occupied hole of the inner row unless the inner row is empty. When the inner row is empty, a player may start from the back row. Unlike many other manacala games a move may start with a singleton.

The move ends when the last stone is dropped into an empty hole (mandri "to sleep"). However, if the last piece is placed in the inner row, then it captures the opponent's pieces on the inner row and the sowing continues play continues is if the last stone had landed in an non-empty row.

The game ends, when a player has no seeds left.

The player who captured all of the seeds, wins the game. The loser is said to be "lazy (kamo).