Bao

Introduction to Bao
Purpose of this Article
This leaflet is meant for people who want to learn about the East-African game known as Bao,
and who want to know how to play this fascinating game. The most important and most
common rules are presented here in a logical order. Additionally, some notes on tactics and a
few sample games from the Zanzibar !!" #hampionship are presented.
Mancala
Bao is what we call a mancala game. $ancala is the term to denominate games with one
shared characteristic% mo&es are not e'ecuted as in chess or checkers, instead mo&es are
e'ecuted by sowing seeds (or other other playing pieces) into holes. $ancala games occur
mainly in Africa and Asia, and in parts of the *ew +orld settled by nati&es of those regions.
+ari is another $ancala game that is reasonably well known in Europe and America. +ari is
also known as ,wari, Awari or Awele. +ari originates in +est Africa while Bao is played in
East Africa (Tanzania). Bao is &ery popular in Zanzibar, e&en more popular than soccer. Bao
is reckoned to be the most complicated of all mancala games% not only because of the
comple'ity of the rules, but also because of the strategies and tactics it offers to its players. -t
is one of the most attracti&e mancala games to play. Together with +ari it is the only mancala
game to ha&e championship tournaments. This article may be your first step to disco&ering the
pleasure Bao has to offer.
Characteristics of Bao
Bao (.wahili for /wood/, /planck/) is played in Zanzibar and on the mainland of Tanzania. -t is
mainly played by men in clubs (because boards are too e'pensi&e for indi&iduals to afford).
,ne of the characteristics of Bao is that the situation on the board can change dramatically
with each mo&e. .o it is hard to say which player has the ad&antage 0ust by looking at a
position on the board. The rapid changes also make it difficult to plan ahead.
The board has four rows containing eight holes. Each player owns the two rows closest to
him1her (since the game is played by males in Africa - will refer to /he1him/ throughout this
te't). Each player has a front and a back row. The aim of the game is to either clear your
opponent/s front row of all seeds or make it impossible for him to mo&e.
The Rules
2re3uently in Bao se&eral rules are applied at the same time. -n those situations, it is
important to apply the rules in the correct order. The hierarchy of the rules is of e'treme
importance. -n this leaflet - will present the rules in as logical an order as possible. After
reading and playing the rules you can use the scheme presented below to clarify the order of
application of the rules when &arious rules come into conflict.
Variations in Rules
The rules presented here were collected by Ale' de 4oogt between !! and !!5. 6e was
helped by Bao masters from Zanzibar. -t is &ery possible that you will encouter different or
additional rules to the ones presented here. These &ariants can be a lot of fun to play, but they
are not the rules used during championship tournaments. -n this article, - will only present the
official rules as Ale' de 4oogt describes them.
The Beginning
7iagram presents a &iew of a Bao board as seen from abo&e. The rectangular holes called
nyumba are clearly shown. The top two rows belong to your ad&ersary8 the bottom two are
yours in this article.
diagram 1% the Bao board seen from abo&e (note that this image has not yet been reproduced.
-nstead, we present a te'tual &ersion using the numeral to indicate the nyumba and 9 to
represent all other holes)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
-n diagram : you see the same board, with the holes replaced by numbers. A /zero/ means that
there are no seeds in the hole, any other number represents that number of seeds in that hole.
diagram 2% schematic representation of the Bao board in the starting position
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 2 2 6 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 6 2 2 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
As you see, each player has ten seeds at the start. The seeds are called kete (plural% kete). The
other :: seeds are kept off the board and are brought into play one by one. The process of
introducing the additional kete di&ides a Bao game into two stages. 7uring the first stage each
player brings one seed into play each turn. This is called the Namua stage. -f you win during
the namua, you win mkononi (/in hand/) because there are still seeds left in hand to bring into
play.
-f there is no winner during the first stage, players keep on playing with the seeds on the board
until there is a winner. This is called the Mtaji stage. There are no draws in Bao. Theoretically,
draws are possible, howe&er, when, for e'ample, a mo&e sets up an endless cycle.
-n presenting the rules, - will begin by e'plaining namua, the first stage. After that - will
present the mta0i stage.
Goal of the Game
Before starting - would like to repeat the &ictory conditions of the game. -n order to win you
must either deplete the front row of your opponent or depri&e him of all legal mo&es.
Namua tage
!nter from the toc"
To start your mo&e you ha&e to look for a hole on your front row that already contains one or
more seeds. -gnore the empty holes. *ow select a hole with seeds that has an opposing hole
that also contains one or more seeds. -gnore the occupied holes with empty opposing holes.
Take a seed from your stock and put it in the hole you ha&e selected. Take the seeds in the
opposing hole. *ow you ha&e captured these seeds.
To repeat, in order to capture seeds from the opponent you must satisfy three conditions%
there must be one or more seeds in your own hole in the front row
there must be one or more seeds in the opposing hole in his front row
you put one seed from your stock into the appropriate hole in your front row
7iagram ; shows a situation in which you can capture%
diagram #
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 1 8 1 2 0 0
0 0 0 0 7 0 2 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
<ou own the bottom two rows. <ou can capture by taking a seed from your stock and placing
it into the hole with se&en seeds. *ow this hole contains eight seeds. Take the seed from the
opposing hole. *ow you ha&e captured that seed. The ne't section describes what to do with
captured seeds.
$ou Must Capture If $ou Can
-t is important to know that you ha&e to capture if there is a possibility to do so. =et/s return to
diagram ;. The capture that the player e'ecuted was the only possible one. Although he had
other holes with seeds, none of them had seeds in the opposite holes.
!ntering Captured eeds
-n diagram ; you 0ust captured a seed. -n #hess or #heckers the opposing pieces are remo&ed
from play8 in Bao the captured pieces (seeds) are brought back into play immediately.
>ut the captured seed in the e'treme left or right hole of your front row. These holes are called
kichwa (literally /head/).
=et us reconsider diagram ;. -f we enter the captured seed in the e'treme left hole, the
situation in diagram " arises%
diagram %% entering the captured seed in the left hole
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 1 8 0 2 0 0
1 0 0 0 8 0 2 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The seed is entered in the left kichwa. Because it landed in an empty hole, the mo&e ends
here.
*B% captured seed(s) are always entered in the first hole, known as the kichwa, ne&er in the
second or another hole.
!ntering More Than &ne eed
+e ha&e seen a situation in which we captured one seed and entered it in our front row.
.uppose we capture a hole with more than one seed, what will happen? Take all the seeds en
sow them in your front row, beginning in the left or right kichwa.
.owing means that one seed is put in the hole that lies ne't to the hole that recei&ed the
pre&ious seed. Always sow one seed a time and ne&er skip a hole.
.ee diagram 5. #apture the three seeds opposing the hole with se&en seeds.
diagram '% capturing more than one seed
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 1 8 3 2 0 0
0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
-f you capture by placing a seed in the hole and taking the opposite seeds, then the situation in
diagram @ will occur%
diagram (
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 1 8 0 2 0 0
0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
.ow the seeds you 0ust captured, starting from the left side. The result is diagram A%
diagram )
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 1 8 0 2 0 0
1 1 1 0 8 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The last seed falls in the third hole from the left. The mo&e then ends, because the last seed
fell in an empty hole. -t is also possible to enter the seeds from the right side. -n that case, we
end up with the siuation in diagram B%
diagram *
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 1 8 0 2 0 0
0 0 0 0 8 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
The last seed falls in the third hole from the right (which is the si'th from the left).
+ich,a and +im-i
Cntil now - presented situations were you could choose whether to enter the seeds from the
left or the right. But there are situations in which you can not choose. <ou cannot choose if
you capture seeds from the two holes on either end of the board. -n that case, you must enter
the captured seeds on the same side where you captured them. These two holes on the e'treme
left and right ha&e special names. The outer ones we already know as kichwa. The second
holes from left and right we call kimbi.
To make this new rule clearer, see diagram !%
diagram .
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 3 1 8 0 2 5 6
1 2 0 0 8 0 3 4
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
-f you capture by placing the seed from your stock in the hole with one seed, you capture four
seeds. These four seeds ha&e to be sown from the left8 you are not allowed to sow them from
the right. -f you capture the three seeds opposing your two, you also must sow them beginning
in hole one. -f you capture the fi&e seeds opposing your three, you must start sowing from
hole eight (the kichwa from the right). -f you capture the si' seeds opposing your four, you
also must enter them starting from the right side.
The result of these capture possibilities - present in diagrams 9, , : and ;. 2or
con&enience, only the front rows are shown, because there are no seeds in the back rows.
diagram 1/% after capturing the first hole from the left
0 3 1 8 0 2 5 6
3 3 1 1 8 0 3 4
diagram 11% after capturing the second hole from the right
4 3 1 8 0 2 0 6
1 2 0 1 9 1 5 6
diagram 12% after capturing the second hole from the left
4 0 1 8 0 2 5 6
2 4 1 0 8 0 3 4
diagram 1#% after capturing the first hole from the right
4 3 1 8 0 2 5 0
1 2 1 1 9 1 4 6
Capturing ,ith Captured eeds
<es, the abo&e title is true% if you capture seeds, they immediately change sides and can
capture e&en more opposing seedsD
-n diagrams 9 through ;, the last seed ends in an empty hole, ending the mo&e. -n some
situations the last seed to be sown falls in a hole already containing seeds. -f this happens you
can capture the seeds in the opposing hole. ,f course, this can only happen if there are seeds
in the opposing hole. -f there are none, then take all the seeds from this last hole and sow them
again, sowing in the same direction.
*B% -f you captured a kichwa or kimbi, the direction of sowing can change according to the
kichwa and kimbi rule presented abo&e.
Eemember that you always keep on sowing or capturing. <our turn can only end when your
last seed falls in an empty hole.
Multiple Captures
By capturing with captured seeds, multiple captures are possible. To e'plain this multiple
capturing, see diagram ". Enter a seed in the hole that contains two seeds and capture the
opposing three.
diagram 1%
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 3 4 8 0 2 5 6
0 2 1 0 8 0 3 4
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Because it is a kimbi hole, you must start sowing from the left kichwa.
<ou capture the three opposing seeds. Because it is a left sided kimbi hole, you start sowing
on the left side. The last of the three seeds ends in the third hole. This hole already contains
one seed, so you capture the four seeds of your opponent. Take these then and start sowing
from the left. <ou ha&e to start on the left, because you were already sowing in that direction.
The last of those seeds falls in the fourth hole. Because the fourth was empty, the mo&e ends.
diagram 1'% result of capturing the second hole in diagram "
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 8 0 2 5 6
2 5 3 1 8 0 3 4
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
*ow, go back to diagram " and capture the right side kichwa. After completing all sowing
you will get the postion in diagram @ as a result.
diagram 1(% result of capturing the eight hole from the left in diagram "
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 3 0 8 0 2 5 0
1 3 3 2 0 2 5 7
1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
To +eep on o,ing
-n some situations the last seed won/t fall in an occupied hole ha&ing seeds in the opposite
hole. Take a look at diagram A.
diagram 1)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 7 0 0 0 2
0 2 3 2 0 2 5 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
<ou capture the se&en seeds from your opponent. -f you start sowing from the left, you will
end with your last seed in the se&enth hole. -t is not empty, so your mo&e doesn/t end, but
there/s nothing to capture either. -n that case take all of the seeds from that hole (there are now
si') and start sowing again, not changing direction and starting with the &ery ne't hole. -n this
case you will end up in the back row, the fourth hole from the left. <ou can see this result in
diagram B.
diagram 1*% result of capturing the se&en seeds, starting from the left
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
1 3 4 4 1 3 0 1
0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1
-f you capture the se&en seeds and start sowing from the right, you will e&entually end up in
the back row, the third hole from the left.
To o, Around the Corner
-n the situations abo&e there were more seeds to sow than there were holes. -n that case, you
keep on sowing in the back row. -t is e&en possible to return to the front row, again, if you
ha&e enough seedsD
No Capturing 0 Ta"asa
-n some situations, you can not start a mo&e by capturing opposing seeds. Take a look at the
starting positions (diagram :) and you will know what - mean.
$o&es where you cannot start with a capture we call takasa.
-f you can/t start with a capture, 0ust put a seed in one of your holes with one or more seeds,
take all seeds and start sowing them. Feep on sowing until your last seed encounters an empty
hole. 7uring the mo&e, no captures are allowedD This is because you didn/t start with a
capture.
Eules of the 6ouse, *yumba
The nyumba (.wahili for /house/) is the hole marked with a rectangle. This is always the fifth
hole from the left on the front row.
The nyumba ceases to be a nyumba as soon as the seeds it contains are sown. After that it is
an ordinary hole 0ust as all other holes.
The nyumba has some special rules that add fla&or to the game. These rules concern, amongst
others, keeping on sowing and emptying the nyumba in takasa situations. These special rules
do not apply if you ha&e fewer than si' seeds in your nyumba.
To top o,ing
-n the abo&e paragraph /To Feep on .owing/ - told you that you ha&e to continue sowing if
your last seed falls in an occupied hole with a hole opposite with no seeds. The nyumba is an
e'ception to this rules. -f the last seed falls in the nyumba and the opposing hole is empty, the
player may end his turn if he wishes. The opponent then starts his mo&e. .ee diagram !.
diagram 1.% capture the four seeds and start sowing from the right
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 2 10 4 4 0 0
2 1 0 0 12 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
<ou take the four seeds opposing your nyumba (the nyumba is underlined) and start sowing
from the right. *ow your last seed falls in the nyumba. According to the rules, you may either
start sowing the seeds or you may stop. -f you continue sowing, you will end up capturing no
other seeds. .o, in this case, you decide to stop and wait for better chances in later turns.
1h2 topping3
As - already said, sometimes it is ad&antageous to wait for better times. -f you sow the seeds
from your nyumba at the right time, the result can be de&estating.
2or e'ample, take a look at diagram :9.
diagram 2/% the opponents turn% he must capture the seed
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 2 16 0 0 2 0
2 1 0 0 14 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
<our opponent has no choice% he has to capture the seed and put it in his right side kichwa,
thus ending his turn since it was empty. The result is to be seen in diagram :%
diagram 21% end of your opponents turn. *ow you must capture
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 2 2 16 0 0 2 0
2 0 0 0 14 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
*ow you capture the seed opposing your two seeds. <ou enter the seed in you left side
kichwa. This captured seed is automatically your last seed. The hole is not empty and since
now there is nothing left to capture, so you take the four seeds and start sowing them ending
in the nyumba. -f you decide to sow the seeds fom your nyumba you will capture all other
seeds from your opponents front row. +e call this Bao 6amna% clearance of the front row. <ou
winD
.owing the seeds from your nyumba at the right time is &ery tricky to do. -t is like a clima'
and is one of the focal points of the Bao game.
A Ta"asa ituation ,ith &nl2 $our N2um-a Remaining
This is the second special rule concerning the nyumba. Take a look at diagram ::. -n this
situation you cannot make a capture.
diagram 22% only the nyumba left in a takasa situation
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 2 9 0 2 0 0
0 0 0 0 9 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
-f the nyumba is the only hole left and you can/t capture, place a seed in your nyumba then
take out two seeds and sow them to the left or to the right.
Al,a2s remem-er that these special rules do not appl2 if there are less than si4 seeds in
2our n2um-a5
ummar2 of the Most Important and 6re7uentl2 8sed Rules
you ha&e to capture if you can
entering captured seeds must be done in the front row from the first hole from the left
or right
you ha&e no choice whether to start from the left or right when%
you captured a kichwa or kimbi hole
you ha&e already sown in a direction
if the last seed ends in an occupied hole, capture the opposing seeds
if there is nothing in the opposing hole, take the seeds from you holeand sow them in
the same direction
your mo&e ends when your last seed falls in an empty hole.
Mta9i tage
The mta0i stage begins when the namua stage ends. That means that you start the mta0i stage
when all seeds in the stocks ha&e been brought into play. The mta0i stage is not &ery different
from the namua stage.
Capture
-n the mta0i stage you must capture if you can. Because no more seeds can be brought into
play, you must take a hole that, after sowing the contents of it, ends with the last seed falling
in a hole ha&ing a hole with seeds opposing it. The opposing hole is called mta0i (plural%
mita0i).
.o we can conclude%
sow seeds from a hole (that may be a hole from the front or back row)
the last seed from that hole must end in a hole in the front row ha&ing one or more
seeds
there must be one or more seeds in the opposing hole (mta0i)
the seeds in the mta0i are captured
playing singletons (holes with only one seed in it) is not allowed
if there is no mta0i, you play takasa (which will be e'plained later)
-n diagram :; you ha&e two possible mita0i. <ou can play your three seeds to the right and
capture fi&e, or you can play your nine seeds to the right (sowing around the corner) and
capture si'.
diagram 2#
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 5 6 0 0
0 3 0 0 4 1 0 0
0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ta"asa
-n the mta0i stage it is not uncommon to ha&e situations in which no captures are possible.
This can be because there are no occupied holes with occupied holes on the opposite side
(mta0i), or because there are no holes that when sown would end opposite mta0i.
These situations are called takasa. -n that case, a player must take a hole from the front row
and sow it to the left or right. 7uring the mo&e captures are not allowed, 0ust as in the namua
stage.
-f there are no occupied holes in the front row, you may sow a hole from the back row.
Take notice% you may ne&er start by sowing a singleton hole.
-f there is a hole that is the only mta0i left for your opponent (mta0i mo0a), than this hole may
not be sown in a takasa situation. -n diagram :" your opponent has a takasa situation. This
means that he must sow his fi&e or si' seeds. Because you ha&e only one mta0i left (the hole
with four seeds), he may not sow his fi&e seeds. .o your opponent must sow his si' seeds to
the left or the right.
diagram 2%
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 5 6 0 0
0 3 0 0 4 1 0 0
0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0
Notation
-n order to facilitate writing down the mo&es, we designed a notation system in cooperation
with Bao masters. -n this system e&ery hole has a number% one to eight for e&ery row. The
front row is called /A/ (or /a/ for your opponent), the back row is /B/ (or /b/ for your opponent).
The difference between the capital and small letters is the difference between black and white
in #hess. /=/ means playing (to the) left, /E/ means playing (to the) right. /G/ means that the
seeds of the nyumba are sown. .o /A5EG/ means a seed is put in the fifth hole from the left on
the front row, capturing opposing seeds and entering those seeds sowing them fromt he right.
/H/ means that there is no capturing (takasa). .o /A;EH/ means that the seeds in the third hole
from the left are sown to the right, because no capturing was possible.
diagram 2'% the numbers of the holes and the names of the rows
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1b
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1a
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8B
Glossar2
(2rom% =imits of the $ind, Ale' de 4oogt)
Bao
. Iame of Bao8 :. board8 ;. goal (scored in soccer)
Bao 6amna
. &ictory8 :. clearance (hamna J there is not)
kete
seed(s) used in Bao. The seeds are from the $komwe tree
kimbi
second and se&enth hole in the front row
kichwa
. 2ar-end hole on either side8 :. head
mkononi
/in the hand/ &ictory within :: mo&es ("" turns) when all of the kete ha&e not been
brought into the game
>iga Tan0i
to attack se&eral houses at the same time
singleton
hole containing one seed
takasa (or takata)
to play without capture
takasia
to play without capturing while forcing the opponent to play without capturing, after
which is it possible to capture
Tactics of Bao
Tactical Com-inations
+e ha&e now learned the rules to use in a game of Bao and how to apply them. =et/s continue
and learn what are the best mo&es too play.
<ou will find out that learning to play Bao in the best way will take a lifetime, 0ust like #hess,
#heckers, Io and all the other fascinating abstract boardgames. <et, a teacher of, for e'ample,
#hess will be able to e'plain the difference between a smart mo&e and not. 6e will tell you
something about con3uering the center of the board, trying to castle as soon as possible, etc. -
will also try to gi&e you some guidelines and general instructions about what is smart to do.
But always keep in mind that sometimes it can be better not to follow the general instructions
- present here, 0ust as sometimes it can be wise to gi&e away a chess piece in order to gain an
ad&antage.
- will use parts of Ale' de 4oogt /s book, =imits of the $ind (see =iterature) in e'plaining the
most widely used tactics.
Tactical Mo:es
-t is important to recognise certain situations in order to be able to apply a certain tactical
mo&es. Those situations are presented here. +hen you are able to understand and recognise a
situation when a gi&en tactical mo&e is appropriate, you can force the opponent to play in
such a way that the desired situation will be created.
The N2um-a
KThe nyumba is central during the first part of the Bao game. $ost situations seek to de&elop
and empty the nyumba most profitably. -n order to ac3uire skill in the defence and
de&elopment of the nyumba one is re3uired to know the &arious combinations that empty the
house, since it cannot be emptied withut a preceding capture.K (7e 4oogt !!5, p.55)
Com-inations to the n2um-a; short flan"
+e begin with the situation that you will easily recognise. The /'/ stands for the fact that you
don/t know the e'act number of seeds in that hole.
diagram 2(
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 x 0 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 x 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
+hen you play AB the last seed will end in hole A5. Because a" is empty, you ha&e to choose
whether to play the nyumba or to end the mo&e. -f you ha&e A seeds then you can capture the
nyumba of the opponent. A &ariant of this situation is diagram :A%
diagram 2)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 x 1 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 x 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
>laying A5E you can play the nyumba again.
The last &ariant is%
diagram 2*
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 x 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 x 0 0 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
>lay A5E to play the nyumba.
Com-inations to the n2um-a; long flan"
These combinations are less fre3uent and are more difficult to create. -n diagram :! you can
play the nyumba if you play A:.
diagram 2.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 2 0 x 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 x 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
-n diagram ;9 play A.
diagram #/
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 x 0 0 0 0
2 0 0 0 x 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
-n diagram ; you can play A or A:.
diagram #1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 1 0 x 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 x 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Try to keep these si' situations in mind8 they are important in Bao. *otice that you don/t ha&e
to play the house when these situations occur, you 0ust ha&e to choose whether or not to play
the nyumba. That/s always better than ha&ing no choice at all.
=et/s see how you can create these situations.
6orced Mo:es
K2orced mo&es are situations where the player is forced to accept the course of play, i. e. the
opponent is able to reach his ob0ecti&e without possible counterplay. K (7e 4oogt !!5, p. 5;)
diagram #2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 x 0 0 1 0
0 0 0 0 14 0 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
+e see that player a has 0ust one possibility to capture in diagram ;:. +hen he captures a:,
the following situation will arise%
diagram ##
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 x 0 0 2 1
0 0 0 0 14 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
-n diagram ;" we see the situation in which A plays the long flank. +hen he captures A;, the
opponent must play aA. >layer A then has to capture A ans after that player a will defend his
nyumba, lea&ing A: for player A to play the nyumba%
diagram #%
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 1 x 0 0 0 0
0 1 1 0 x 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
- will present the following diagram last. -n this diagram there is a forced mo&e. >layer a will
defend his nyumba. *o matter what mo&e he makes, player A will always be able to respond
in such a way that he can play his nyumba, e&en though it may take many mo&es to play out.
diagram #'
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 2 x 0 4 1 0
0 0 1 1 x 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
General Principles
The Bridge
KThe bridge is a choice of capture, where a captured seed is entered into the front row in such
a way that it reaches the initial hole of capture again. This hole - will call the capturing hole.
This procedure enables the capturing hole to be continued while at least two seeds ha&e been
added from the start of the mo&e.K (7e 4oogt !!5, p. @:)
A good e'ample is daigram ;@, where the nyumba will be played by A5E. 6ere the nyumba is
the capturing hole and the captured seeds allow the nyumba to be played.
diagram #(
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 16 1 0 1 1
0 0 0 0 15 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
-n diagram ;A you can play A:. Because you will reach the kimbi of the other flank you can
keep continue capturing. The bridge in this mo&e is &ery effecti&e.
diagram #)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 6 0 x 1 0 1 1
1 1 0 0 x 1 0 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
#apturing kimbi and kichwa holes allow you to change the direction of sowing. .o capturing
a hole that allows you to capture the kichwa or kimbi hole on the other flank gi&es you the
opportunity to capture many holes if you are low on seeds.
8titiri
K-n a situation where many seeds from the front row ha&e been captured, it is often wise to
launch a singleton attack Lthis strategy is called utitiri /chicken lice/M. - consider as a singleton
attack e&ery mo&e which fills the player/s row with one seed per hole while the opponent/s
row is occupied with (many) more seeds. The difficult defense makes an easy attack in the
ne't turn, since &arious occupied holes will be e'posed to capture. The defence against a
singleton attack consists of neutralizing the singletons position. A player should destroy
bridges that enable the opponent to tra&el up and down the front row. =arge holes of one/s
own should only be defended if they allow long combinations. $any times the holes with
many seeds end somewhere in the back row and cause only limited damage compared with
other combinations K (7e 4oogt, p. @:1@;)
An e'ample of utitiri is shown in diagram ;B. >lay AE to launch a singleton attack.
diagram #*
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 6 0 x 4 3 4 1
5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Piga Tan9i
KTo piga tan0i is to attack (usually) two holes, both with many seeds, in one mo&e. This often
forces an opponent to abandon one of them. This is comparable to the fork attack in #hess. -f
one of the holes is a kimbi hole, players usually abandon the kimbi hole to a&oid kitakimbi.K
(7e 4oogt, !!5, p.@;)
Fitakimbi is a specific trap that forces a player to defend his kimbi hole. .ince it is difficult to
defend that hole, he soon abandons his other holes.
An e'ample of piga tan0i is presented in diagram ;!. -f player A plays A@=, he will attack the
kimbi and the nyumba at the same time%
diagram #.
1 1 0 1 1 0 2 1
0 6 0 15 0 4 0 0
0 0 0 0 x 1 0 0
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
hort 1ins
KA short win is a game with less than :: mo&es ("" turns). -n that case, not all seeds ha&e
entered the game and a player is beaten mkononi which means /in the hand/ (which refers to
the seeds still held in the hand). (7e 4oogt !!5, p. @;)
6ere are a few e'amples of short games%
() A@=H a@E8 *ormally not a good mo&e% the nyumba should be defended.
(:) A"E a@E8 By making a bridge hole A is reached. A dangerous situation arises% player A
can play the nyumba if he wants (see how diagram "9 resembles diagram ;@% there is one seed
opposing the nyumba, one seed in the right kichwa and one seed opposing that kichwa.
diagram %/
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 3 0 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 3 8 1 3 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
(;) A5EG >layer A decides to play the nyumba. 6e now thinks he has a clear ad&antages. 6e
captured the opponent nyumba and managed to spread sow the seeds of his own nyumba.
diagram %1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 3 0 1 0 1 1 0
1 1 1 4 0 2 4 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
(;) A5E 6amnaD All seeds ha&e been capturedD >layer A loses.
Another short game demonstrating the awesome nature of Bao%
() A@=H a5E8
(:) A;E a5E8
(;) A;E a5E8
(") AAE aBE8
(5) A;= This mo&es pro&es to be a mistake. 2rom here on all the following mo&es are
compulsory8 no counterplay for player A is possible if player a plays aA.
(5) aA8
(@) A a5E8 >layer A must capture with hole A:, preparing a situation like in diagram ;@ for
player a
diagram %2
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 4 0 10 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 9 0 0 1
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
(A) A: a5EG 6amnaD
<udging a Position
+e ha&e seen a couple of situations that decei&e the eye in the e'amples abo&e. -t looks like
e&erything is going okay for one player, while it turns out that the other player is winning,
after all. >lay can shift 3uickly in Bao, because changes are fre3uent and can alter the
situation dramatically. .o how can you tell who has the ad&antage in Bao? There are a couple
of clues.
Take a look at the back rows. .eeds in the back row ha&e three ad&antages. .eeds in the back
row%
cannot be captured and therefore are always yours8
are necessary to help form a bridge if you lea&e the front row sowing /around the
corner/ and want to get back to the front row8
are sa&ings against hard times in the mta0i stage. >lay seeds to the front row in times
that you are low on seeds in the mta0i stage.
The more seeds in the back row, the better. <ou ha&e more chances and opportunities to create
the right mo&e.
-f you want to 0udge a position, take a look at the back row. The one who manages to
accumulate most seeds in as many holes as possible, often manages to win the game. But
when de&elopping the back row always remember that seeds on the back row are worthless
without seeds in the front rowD
Bao Tournament Games
=>an?i-arian championship 1..%@
Maulidi (A) - Kijumbe (a) 11-10-94
(1) A7L * a5R
(2) 6L * 5R
(3) 2 6L
(4) 1 5R
(5) 3R 1
(6) 5R 3L
(7) 7 3L
(8) 2R * 5L
(9) 5R 3R
(10) 3L 3R *
(11) 3L 4R
(12) 4R 2
(13) 6R 5R
(14) 3L 3L
(15) 5R 5R
(16) 5L 2
(17) 5L 6L
(18) 5L 3L
(19) 5L 5R
(20) 5L 3L
(21) 4L 3R
(22) 1
(Be!"#e $la%i&'( Kijumbe $"i&)* )"
A2 a&d b3(
a !"#+ed m",e +"mbi&a)i"& )"
+a$)u#e )-e -"u*e)
2
(23) A2R b3L
(+a$)u#e* )-e -"u*e .i)- 19 *eed*)
(24) (A) #e*i'&*/
23 m",e* (46 *i&'le-m",e*)( 17
mi&u)e* 00 *e+"&d*/
Kijumbe (A) - Maulidi (a) 11-10-94
(1) A7L * a5R
(2) 6L * 5R
(3) 2 6L
(4) 1 5R
(5) 3R 1
(6) 5R 3L
(7) 7 3L
(8) 2R * 3L
(9) 5R 5R
(10) 3L 3R *
(1-e*e m",e* .e#e $la%ed i& "&l% 30
*e+"&d*/)
(11) 3L 4R
(12) 4R 2
(13) 4R 6L
(14) 6L 2
(15) 6R 1
(16) 6L 5R
(17) 5L 5L
(18) 6R 7
(19) 6R 2
(20) 5R 6R
(21) 5R 2
(22) 2 4R
(23) A2L * a4R
(24) B7L * b8R
(25) B1L a4R
(26) B5L * a1R
(27) B2L b5R
(28) A4R * b6R
(29) B6R b1L
(30) B8R b7L /// Ba" -am&a2 (a)
.i&*/
30 m",e* (60 *i&'le-m",e*)( 22
mi&u)e*/
Maulidi (A) - 0-am)e (a) 12-10-94
(1) A6L * a5L
(2) 3L 7
(3) 1 5R
(4) 2 5R3
(5) 5L 3R
(6) 8 7
(7) 5L 7
(8) 7 3R
(9) 4R 7L *
(10) 7 3L
(11) 83 3R
(12) 4L 4R
(13) 8 4R
(14) 4R 2
(A l"&' m",e "! m"#e )-a& 5 #"u&d*(
Maulidi +lea#l% mi*+al+ula)ed(
.-ile 0-am)e .a* "b,i"u*l% !amilia#
.i)- )-i* )#a$)
Ba" -am&a2 (a) .i&*/
14 m",e* (28 *i&'le-m",e*)( 7
mi&u)e*/
Kijumbe (A) - Majali.a (a) 15-10-94
(1) A7L * a5R
(2) 6L * 5L
(3) 3R 7
(4) 3L 1
(5) 5R 2
(6) 8 3R
(7) 1 5R
(8) 7 5L
(9) 6L 5R
(10) 83 7
(11) 6L 6L
(12) 6L 5R
(13) 7 5L
(14) 6R 1
(15) 2 5R
(16) 1 5R
(17) 3R * 5L
(18) 7 5L
(19) 2R * 5L
(20) 7 5L
(21) 3R 3R
(22) 5R 5L
(23) A3R - (a) #e*i'&* (b8R i* a
!"#+ed m",e .-i+- !"ll".ed b% A6L
all".* )-e "$$"&e&) )" +a$)u#e )-e
-"u*e "! 27 *eed* .-i+- #e*ul)* i&
Ba" -am&a/)
23 m",e* (45 *i&'le-m",e*)( 9
mi&u)e* 5 *e+"&d*/
Maulidi (A) - Ramad-a& (a) 16-10-94
(1) A7L a5R
(2) 6L 5R
(3) 2 3L
(4) 1 5R
(5) 3R 1
(6) 5R 3L
(7) 83 2
(8) 1 5R
(9) 2R * 5L
(10) 7 3L
(11) 4L 4L
(12) 6R 1
(13) 7 3R
(14) 2 3L
(15) 4L 7
(16) 7 7
(17) 4R
(1-i* m",e )a4e* *e,e#al la$*( b")-
Ramad-a& a&d Maulidi
did &") !"#e*ee a di#e+) .i& u&)il
Maulidi .a* -al!.a%
)-#"u'- )-e m",e)
Ba" -am&a2 (A) .i&*/
17 m",e* (33 *i&'le-m",e*)( 6
mi&u)e* 30 *e+"&d*/
5a*"#" (A) - Abdalla- (a) 17-10-94
(1) A6L 5R
(2) 3R 5L
(3) 8 7L *
(4) 5L 83
(5) 3R 3R
(6) 3L 8
(7) 3R 3L
(8) 7R * 1
(9) 5R 3R *
(10) 5L 6R
(6) *-"uld be &")ed )-a) )-e*e 10
m",e* .e#e +"m$le)ed
i& )-e #e+"#d )ime "! 31 *e+"&d*(
.i)- $la%e#* $la%i&'
alm"*) *imul)a&e"u*l%/)
(11) 5R 2
(12) 1 7
(13) 1 2
(14) 5L 6L
(15) 2 3L
(16) 5R 5L
(17) 5L3 5L
(18) 6L 4L
(19) 6R 4R
(20) 3R 4R
(21) 7 3L
(22) 7 7
(23) A7L b7R *
(24) B6R b4L *
(25) A7L b5R
(26) B1L b6R *
(27) A6R b1L
(28) B3L a3R
(29) B5R - (a) #e*i'&*/
29 m",e* (57 *i&'le-m",e*)( 35
mi&u)e* 25 *e+"&d*/
Kijumbe (A) - 7ma# (a) 17-10-94
(1) A7L a5R
(2) 6L 5R
(3) 2 6L
(4) 1 5R
(5) 3R 1
(6) 5R 3L
(7) 7 3L
(8) 2R * 3L
(9) 5R 5R
(10) 3L 3R *
(11) 3L 4R
(12) 4R 4L
(13) 3L 7
(14) 3R 3R
(15) 4L 6L
(16) 4R 2
(17) 5R 1
(18) 5L 6L
(19) (Kijumbe .a* )-i&4i&' !"#
m"#e )-a&
*ix mi&u)e* -e#e / / /)
6L 8
(20) 3L 5R
(21) 2 3L
(22) 2 3L
(23) B6R a3L *
(1-i* m",e* a))a+4* )." 4imbi -"le*
a) )-e *ame )ime(
a !"#4 a))a+4)
(24) A7R
(7&e 4imbi i* $la%ed)
b7R
(1-e ")-e# i* +a$)u#ed)
(25) B2L a2R
(26) B8R a4L *
(27) B7R b1L
(1-e ba+4 #". i* $#a+)i+all%
de$le)ed &".)
(28) B5R
(b5L ."uld 'i,e )-e $"**ibili)% "!
+a$)u#e .i)- -el$
"! )-e )a4a*ia #ule( bu) a$$a#e&)l%
&") e&"u'-) (a) #e*i'&*/
28 m",e* (55 *i&'le-m",e*)( 24
mi&u)e* 50 *e+"&d*/
Ramad-a& (A) - Kijumbe (a) 17-10-94
(1) A7L a5R
(2) 6L 5R
(3) 2 6L
(4) 1 5R
(5) 3R 1
(6) 5R 3L
(7) 7 3L
(8) 2R * 5L
(9) 5R 3R
(10) 3L 3R *
(11) 3L 4R
(12) 4R 2
(13) 5R 6L
(14) 4L 1
(15) 4R 2
(16) 4R 6L
(17) 4R 3R
(18) 4R 4L
(19) 8 4R
(20) 6L 4L
(21) 3L 1
(22) 6L 7
(23) A7L b8R
(24) A6L a7L *
(25) A5R b2L
(26) A4L * b6R
(27) B6R a7L
(28) A8L * a8L
(29) B2L b1L
(30) B4L b8R
(31) B7R a7L
(32) A4R * b3L
(33) B3R * a7L
(34) B6R * ()a4a*ia) a6R *
(1a4a*ia mea&* )-a) )-e "$$"&e&)
-a* )" )a4a*a
bu) i* &") all".ed )" em$)% a
+e#)ai& -"le( +/8/ a2/
0i&+e a6R #ea+-e* )-i* -"le( )-i*
m",e e&d*9*lee$*
a) a2)
(35) B7R b8R
(36) A7R ()a4a*ia)
(A) )-i* m"me&) Kijumbe *)a#)ed )"
lau'-( *i&+e )-i*
)a4a*ia m",e +ame ab"u) ju*) b%
lu+4( e,e& Ramad-a&
*miled .-e& -e u&de#*)""d )-e
*i)ua)i"&/)
a4R *
(A* i& m",e 36( )-i* m",e e&d* "&
a1 .-i+- i* )a4a*ia-ed/)
(37) B7R a6L
(38) A8L b6L
(39) A5R b3L
(40) B5R a2R *
(41) A4R b5R
(42) B8R a7R
(43) A7L b4L
(44) A5L a8L
(45) (A) #e*i'&*
(B2L i* a !"#+ed m",e( !"ll".ed b%
b8R i* Ba" -am&a/)
44 m",e* (88 *i&'le-m",e*)( 30
mi&u)e* 10 *e+"&d*/
Kijumbe (A) - Rajab (a) 19-10-94
(1) A7L * a5R
(2) 6L * 6R
(3) 5R 5R
(4) 2 8
(5) 2 6R
(6) 1 5R
(7) 3R 2
(8) 8 5L
(9) 7 5L
(10) 5R 3L
(11) 8 3R
(12) 2 6R
(13) 2 5R
(14) 3R3 5R3
(15) 3L 3L
(16) 5R 5L
(17) 7 5R
(18) 2 8
(19) 5L 6L
(20) 5L 2
(21) 5R 2
(22) 6L 7
(23) B3L b6R
(24) B7R b2L
(25) B1L a1R
(26) B2L a3R *
(27) A3R b2L
(28) A2R a1L *
(29) B1L b1R *
(30) A8L b5L *
(31) A2R b7R
(32) B3L a4R /// (a) #e*i'&*/
32 m",e* (64 *i&'le-m",e*)( 41
mi&u)e* 15 *e+"&d*/