Shax (board game)

Shax (known as "Jar" or "Mororova" in some areas) is a board game played in the Horn of Africa (especially in Somalia). Its origins dating back centuries, it is still popular today.

Shax is popular among men in Somalia, where it is also known as Jar and Mororova and is usually played by marking a board on the ground and using stones or sticks as pieces. The game has a large influence on Somali literature, which often mentions gameplay and strategies. [cite web |url=http://www.shimbir.demon.co.uk/docs/shax.htm |title=An introduction to Shax, a Somali game |accessdate=2007-01-01 |last=Davies |first=Rick |coauthors=Ibrahim Awad, Abdidahir Ali Hirsi, Axmed Ismacil Jamac, Axmed Liban Axmed |year=1988 |month=December ] In the historical nomadic lifestyle of the Somali people, Shax was a method of communication between different tribes.

Rules

Shax is similar to Nine Men's Morris and uses the same board, but in Shax, mills formed during placement do not immediately result in the removal of opposing pieces. When placement is finished, if any mills have been formed, the player who formed the first one may remove one opposing piece, and the other player may do the same whether they formed a mill or not. Play then continues as before. If no mills were formed during placement, the second player to move during placement is the first to move after it.

If at any time a player has no moves, they do not lose; instead, their opponent is required to open an intersection for them by moving. If this freeing movement happens to form a mill, no piece may be removed. The "flying" rule is not used.

Bibliography

* Jama Musse Jama
*"Shax: the preferred game of our camel-herders and other traditional African entertainments"SUN MOON LAKE, Rome, (2000).

References

External links

* [http://www.dm.unipi.it/~jama/ethno/shax.html Jama Musse Jama's Shax 1.0 for DOS]