Lamlameta

Lamlameta (German: in pairs, of " lama " = two) is a strategic board game ( Tagega ) of the Konso, a nation that is located in the Omo valley in central Ethiopia. This game was described in 1971 by the anthropologist Richard Pankhurst first time, watching it near Olanta. In Germany it is taught at the Africa Festival in Sinzig since 2004 along with other Mancala variants.

Lamlameta is a recreational activity of adult males and, to a lesser extent, of boys. It is played outdoors, in the rainy season in the house or on a kind of porch in front of the entrance.

Game rules

The carved wooden board that is called toma tagéga, consists of two sets of 12 wells ( awa ). At the beginning of the game are two seeds in each well, the tagéga hot. Each player is one of a series.

Start position

Individual trains

In each train a game takes the contents of one of its wells and distribute it individually counterclockwise on the following holes. Although Pankhurst writes that the first train to the past or the next to last on the right end dump starts, but it seems this is not a hard and fast rule, but only a common opening gambit to be.

If the last seed falls into a trough filled, its contents, including the most recently played in the seed, taken and redistributed.

The train ends, whom the last seed is placed in an empty hole.

It is forbidden to place seeds in trays, in which there are two seeds, except the first train a lot. Later, these wells are skipped when distributing.

If the last seed falls into an empty hole own and the opposite, opposing cavity contains two seeds, these seeds are trapped opponent, as well as all other pairs of opposing seeds in other wells of the opposite side.

The game ends when one player can not move. The seeds, which are still on the board, including the player on whose board they lie half. The winner, who has caught the most couples.