Congklak is one of the Southeast Asian mancala games. This game is played in Indonesia and in many countries in southern Asia under different names. Congklak is a Bahasa indonesian name for the game, closely related to the Malaysian and Singaporean name Chongkak. Some internet sources have explained that both names are believed to refer to cowry shells which are commonly used to play the game, though the word Tengkuyung sometimes spelt Tengkuyong could describe these shells better, according to one informant said. The two rows of holes are called kampongs or villages and the large holes at both ends of the board are called rumah or home.

Congklak is similar to other southeastern Asian mancala games as Sungka or Dakon. Traditionally it was limited to young girls, teens and women in their leisure time and Congklak is seen as a ‘girl’s game’. In only a few regions it was played by men and boys as well. Some sources explain that in Sulawesi, historically, Congklak was reserved for play only during grieving periods, after the death of a loved one and It was considered taboo to play the game at any other time.

This game is also known by Malay and Peranakan people and played in Malaysia and Singapore as Congkak.

ARRANGEMENT OF SEEDS ON THE BOARD

board

Congklak is played on 2×5, 2×6, 2×7, 2×8 and 2×9 wooden boards but village children often play without a board, creating their own playing area by scooping out holes in the ground. For play Congklak is necessary a board with one store at each end.

In the following diagram you can see a schematic representation of the board for play achochodi. The top row belongs to player A. The bottom row belongs to player B. Both players leave the own store hole empty. Each player owns the store at his left-hand side of the board. It is played with the number of seeds in each hole at the start of play being the same as the number of holes in a row on the board. That is, 5 seeds in each hole in a 2×5 board, 6 seeds in each hole in a 2×6 board, 7 seeds in each hole in a 2×7 board and so on.

game pieces

In mancala games is common to use stones, seeds, small conches, feces of goat,…… as game pieces. Generally, these pieces are called “seeds” although they are stones or other objects. If you play with a 2×7 board you need 98 seeds, 49 seeds per player, although seeds of each player does not differ from each other.

MOVEMENTS

seeding and harvesting

The basic movements of the mancala games are called “seeding” and “harvesting”.  Seeding involves placing seeds one by one on consecutive adjacent holes. Harvesting involves the capture of one or more seeds contained in one or more holes according to the rules of each game.

The direction of movement in this game is clockwise. The seeds are placed into the ensuing holes.

Congklak game is played with multiple laps.

Both players begin their first move of the first round simultaneously with multiple laps. Who can make the longest move, starts first the next turn. The players move and capture according to the same rules as dakon but in congklak the seeds are sow in clockwise direction.

The player who plays sow the seeds one by one with multiple laps, including the own store but not the opponent’s store, until the last seed of a lap falls into the own player’s store or into an empty hole. Each player drops a seed into his store each time he passes it but does not deposit any into his opponent’s store.

If the last seed falls into the own player’s store, the player who is sowing begins another move from any occupied hole on the own side of the board. If the last seed falls into an empty hole on the opponent’s side of the board, the player’s move is over and it becomes the opponent’s turn to play.

If the last seed of a lap falls into an empty hole on the player’s side of the board and the opponent’s hole opposite is occupied, the player captures the seeds contained as well as the single seed from the capturing hole on his side and puts them in his store. Then the turn is over.

If the last seed falls into an empty hole on the player’s side of the board and the opponent’s hole opposite is empty, the player’s turn is over with no captures being made.

If it is the turn to move of any player and there is no seeds in the own side of the board, this player passes. The opponent player plays again. The round is over when all the seeds are in the 2 stores.

In the second and successive rounds, players take turns. The player with fewer seeds takes the first turn.

For the second round each player, using the seeds captured in the previous round, fills as many holes as they can in the own side with 7 seeds in each hole beginning from the own extreme left-hand. Each player places own leftover seeds in his store. If the player A has captured, for example, only 26 seeds in the previous round (see the previous diagram), puts 7 seeds into each of the 3 holes on the left-hand side of the board and puts the remaining 5 seeds into the store in the right-hand. To illustrate better all that we just explained, you can see the following examples:

Let us suppose that you are the player B. It is your turn of play. You decide to move from the hole 7B.

You reach with this seed in your own store hole in your left-hand side. Your turn continues. You begin another move from any occupied hole on your side of the board. You decide to move from the hole 6B that contains 2 seeds.

You reach again with the last seed sown in your own store hole.

Your turn is not over. You begin another move.

You decide to move again from the hole 7B.

You reach with this seed in your own store hole. Your turn continues.

You pick up the content into the hole 5B and continue sowing with multiple laps one by one in the following holes, including the own store. You reach in the hole 3A, now it contains 3 seeds. Your turn is not over.

You pick up the content into the hole 3A and continue sowing the seeds with multiple laps one by one in the following holes.

You reach in the hole 6A, now it contains 4 seeds. Your turn continues.

You pick up the content into the hole 6A and continue sowing with multiple laps one by one in the following holes, but not including the opponent’s store:

You reach in the hole 3B. Because the last seed sown falls into an empty hole in your side of the board and the opponent’s hole opposite (5A) is occupied, you capture the seeds contained as well as the single seed from the capturing hole on your side and put them in your store. Then your turn is over.

There are some variants that we explain you:

There is a Congklak variant in which, in the second and the following rounds, is applied the rule that if a player accidentally drops a seed into a nullified hole, this seed goes to the opponent’s store.

There is another Conglak variant when a player sows the last seed into an empty hole in the player’s side of the board and the opponent’s hole opposite is empty, the player’s turn is over and captures the single seed and puts it into the own store.

There is another variant that is played on a single round. The game ends when there are no seeds in the holes, because the seeds have been distributed in the stores. The player with the highest number of seeds in the own store, wins.