Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 13

The Game

of Kali
Copyright © 2007 John MacEnulty

Instruction Book
The Game of Kali
Copyright © 2007 John MacEnulty

Origin of the game of Kali


The following story purports to be the tale of the origin of the game of Kali. Only a fragment of the story
was recovered from the hidden mountain ruins of an ancient temple. Written originally in Sanskrit, it was
translated by a monk who later went mad and ate the Sanskrit fragment.

How the Prince Regained


His Father’s Throne
Long ago, in a far away mountain kingdom, there lived a fair and kindly Prince. When his
father died he naturally felt he would become the next King and began the journey to his father’s
castle.
With twenty of his followers he arrived at the North Gate of the Castle wall. At the same
time his wicked half-brother arrived at the South Gate.
In the center of the castle was the Throne Room, and the law of the land was that whoever
of Royal Blood should wear the crown was given full power over the kingdom.
The good Prince, unaware of the intended usurpation by his half-brother, went before his
men into the courtyard and then into the Castle itself to gather the crown left by his father.
Meanwhile, his half brother sent his men ahead to stop the good Prince. The wicked
usurper’s warriors quickly captured several of the Prince’s men and drove the Prince from the
Castle.
Barely escaping with his life, the Prince fled to a dark forest on the far side of a vast
mountain range at the edge of the kingdom.
The usurper marched in behind his men to the throne room and claimed the crown. He
ruled for many years, and the people of the kingdom suffered greatly under his despotic hand.
The Prince remained in his forest, meditating on his fate and all the events of his life that
had brought him to his dark dwelling. Day after day, week after week, month after month, and year
after year the Prince called upon Vishnu for wisdom and guidance.
Finally, after twelve years of silent meditation, he saw a brilliant light in the deepest part of
the forest.
Cautiously the Prince made his way to the light, and suddenly found himself in the
presence of the Great One.
“Oh kind and gentle Prince, I will grant you the wisdom you seek.” The voice boomed as
thunder, yet felt smaller and more delicate than the finest mist. “You fell before your enemy
because you did not know the ways of evil. It is always so. In the Golden Age, all men were as you
are now: Kind, Just, and Noble. But they were also not as you are now: living wretchedly in a
darkened forest. There was no evil in those days, and all people lived in harmony and joy. To live
today, you must know not only justice, but injustice; not only pleasure, but pain; not only honesty,
but dishonesty; not only love, but hate; not only peace, but war.
“Being good only, you were easily conquered by evil. Wise is the man who can fight evil
and remain good. You must learn the ways of the warrior to rule, but you must not forget the
honor of ruling consists in service to your subjects. The last, you know. The first, you must learn.”
Suddenly, the light became so bright the Prince had to cover his eyes and look away.
When at last he opened them again, Vishnu had disappeared. In his place sat the many armed
Kali, Goddess of War and Destruction.
In her many hands she held the weapons of war: bows and arrows, swords, daggers,
axes, spears, and war clubs. Her smile was as venomous as a cobra, her teeth as large as the
tiger’s. Her earrings were human skulls, and her skin as black as jet. The Prince cowered from her
in fear.
The voice of Vishnu came softly to the Prince: “Do not be afraid. Kali will instruct you but
she will not harm you.”
Then Kali laid her weapons down and sat on the forest floor with the Prince. “I have seen
all the creatures of the earth, and all the creatures of the air, and all the creatures under the sea.
None can escape without struggle. Even the placid cow is given horns to kill the wolf. In the
presence of your enemy you must fight and you must fight to win.
“You did not fight well because you did not even know there would be a battle. No one,
especially a Prince, can hope to thrive in the age of Kali without a struggle.”
She placed a mat between them. On the mat was a picture of the castle walls, the two
gates, the walkways in the garden, and the hallways of the imperial house.
Finally, in the center, was the throne room with its several doors and hidden chambers.
The Goddess placed twenty pebbles in the Prince’s hand, and a small statue. As the
Prince looked upon the statue he saw his own face.
Kali smiled and placed another twenty stones on the mat before her. She then placed
another statue, this one of the Prince’s half brother on the mat. She placed a stone on the mat at
the South Gate and moved him forward.
“My first warrior is in the field. If you wish to win the crown you must first beat my
warriors.”
The Prince’s heart began to race, his face broke out in a terrified sweat, and his hands
trembled as he reached for a stone.
“To be a Prince, you must command. It is not enough to be born of royal blood. You must
earn your power as well.”
The Prince moved his first stone toward the center. The game ended quickly as the
Goddess destroyed the Prince’s feeble defense and marched her statue to the throne.
The second game ended almost as quickly, but this time she beat him in a completely
different way. In the third, she defeated him in yet another way, and also in the fourth.
“You think there should be only one way to attack and one way to defend. That is not the
way of war, and it is not the way of the game.” The Goddess smiled and pushed a stone onto the
mat. “It is your move.”
The Prince thought long and hard, and they played on into the evening, into the next day,
and into the next night. For six days and nights they played, and the Prince did not even notice
that he had not eaten or slept.
Finally at the dawning of the seventh day, the Prince won his first game from the Goddess.

It is indeed unfortunate the the fragment is here broken off. We can only surmise the
ending. From the title, however, it is obvious that somehow the Prince, utilizing the insights
gained from the game of Kali, was able to conquer the usurping half-brother and capture his
father’s crown.
A growing number of Kali scholars are beginning to cast doubt on the authenticity of this
tale. Swami Amirami, for example, is firmly convinced that the kingdom, the Prince, and indeed,
the entire social structure upon which the tale is based are the fictional creations of a diseased
mind. Swami Amirami, it should be noted, has since his investigations into the game of Kali been
seen less and less in the meditative posture of his earlier years, and more and more has been
seen hunched over a Kali board in the opium dens and other places of iniquity in the Bangali
quarter Bangalor.
Inner Meaning of the Game of Kali
Kali represents the terrifying aspect of the Mother Goddess, whose kindly or benign aspect is
reflected in the goddess Lakshmi.

Kali reflects the Indian tradition of bringing together seemingly contradictory aspects of life and
some see a link with the Great Goddess as an Earth Mother whose power was shown both in the
fertility of the earth and in the receiving of the bodies of dead.

Kali represents the realities of life and death. Kali, the devourer of time (kala) stands for the
frightening, painful side of life which all who desire to progress spiritually must face and
overcome.

Thus the pieces of the game of Kali are red, representing passion and feelings and the lust for
power, and blue, representing the deep serenity of inner being and the desire for peace and the
oneness of all things. The two forces meet in the game of life, the red pieces called upon to
understand and deal with their passions and how they influence their actions, the blue pieces,
how life beckons them from their cloistered serenity into action in the world.

Rules for Kali:


Kali is a game for two players. There are twenty warriors and one Prince on each side. The
object of the game is to get the Prince to the center point or to capture the enemy Prince. Either of
these ends the game immediatly.
Play begins at the home point. Choose colors by one person holding one of each color
behind his or her back. The other player chooses which will be their color. Red moves first.
Players change colors after each game. All pieces are considered to occupy the home point until
they are moved. Once removed, no piece may return to the home point.
Warrior’s Moves:
Warriors may move in any direction as far as desired along any unobstructed straight line.
Warriors may not turn a corner on one move except when capturing. Going around a corner or
any angle other than a straight line takes two moves. Players cannot occupy or go past a point
occupied by another player, friendly or enemy.

Prince’s Moves:
The Prince may move only one point at a time in any direction. However, he cannot enter the
board until five enemy warriors have been captured. One Prince will be able to move before the
other. This is a major part of the strategy.

Once the Prince enters the board it is usually a sign that the end is near, one way or the other. It
only takes five moves for the Prince to reach the center. If he does, he wins the game. If he
doesn’t he is in very great danger and could be captured, thereby losing the game. So the initial
strategy is based on preparing the way for the Prince to safely gain the throne.

Captures:
Warriors or the prince may capture the opponent’s warriors or Prince. (It is highly unlikely,
however, that a Prince would capture a Prince.)

Warriors capture by jumping over one of their own men and landing on the opponent’s warrior (or
Prince). So it takes at least two warriors for a capture to occur. Capturing is the only time a warrior
can go around a corner in one move.
Since captures can be made around corners, patterns of attack can become quite complex when
all the angles are utilized.

The following are legitimate captures:

This would result in the following position:

White has now captured one black warrior. This could be followed by several alternative counter
attacks such as:
Which results in the following position:

Now, white has captured one warrior and black has captured one warrior. The consequences of
this position would be that white recaptures now having two black warriors. Black is then in a
position to take once more and have two white warriors forked. Here is one way it could play out:
White takes black resulting in:

White has now captured two black warriors. But black attacks again, forking the two white
warriors as follows:
Resulting in:

In this position black has the choice of taking either of the two remaining white warriors. They are
forked. No matter what white does, white will lose one more warrior.
Captures by the Prince

The Prince makes captures unassisted. He simply moves one point in any direction to land on an
enemy and removes the enemy from the board. It is theoretically possible for a Prince to capture a
Prince. Unlikely, but possible.

Warriors may not jump over Princes, nor may they jump over each other except to capture.

Princes don’t jump.

Captures are always optional. Just because you can doesn’t mean you have to.

Ending

There are two ways to win:

1. Get the Prince to the center point where he becomes a King

2. Capture the enemy Prince

Either of these ends the game immediately.

It is important to note that the Prince cannot be stopped from reaching the center point by training
an attack on the center point. After the Prince arrives at the center point he becomes King and the
game is over. It does not matter that he can be taken after he arrives.
17

Special Considerations
Since all pieces are considered to be on the home point until moved, a warrior on any point
immediately connected to the home point may serve as a springboard for an attack on the enemy
by the forces in reserve on the home point. This makes the home territory quite formidable to the
enemy.
Strategy
Occupation of the center by as many warriors as possible may result in a solid stronghold. This
delays the advance of the opposing prince and facilitates the journey of your own Prince to the
center.
However, the nine-line points on either side of the board can serve as focal points for devastating
flank attacks.
Quick and efficient mobilization of forces should be a prime consideration. Since a warrior moved
out only one point is a blockade to the warriors behind, it may be advisable to determine the
farthest point you wish to move a warrior and get him there as quickly as possible.
Although the Prince may enter after five of the enemy have been captured, it is not always
advisable to do so.
Special care must be given to the Prince’s journey to the center. Timing is crucial. Once the
Princes get moving the end can be surprisingly swift.
Although this was stated earlier, it bears repeating: The Prince cannot be stopped by training an
attack on the center point. Once he arrives there the game is over. It does not matter that he could
be taken after he arrives.
Summation:
The game of Kali is surprisingly quick and dramatic at the point the Prince enters the game. The
preparation for that moment can seem time consuming but it is of crucial importance that the
development be carefully structured, for when things begin to fall apart for one side or the other, it
is over quickly!
Summary of the Rules for Kali:
(1) Warriors move along any straight line as far as you want, but may not turn a corner or slide
along an angle during the course of one turn.

(2) The Prince moves one point per turn in any direction.

(3) Warriors capture by leaping over an adjacent warrior of their own color and landing on the
opposing warrior on the very next point, thereby capturing it and removing it from the board.

(4) The Prince captures by moving onto the square occupied by an opposing warrior or Prince.
The prince does not leap. The capture of an opposing warrior is the Prince’s usual one point
move. He can only capture an opposing warrior on an immediately adjacent point.

(5) The object of the game is to get the Prince to the center point of the board or to capture the
opposing Prince. The game is over immediately when either of those moves occur.

(6) The Prince cannot move until five opposing warriors have been captured.

(7) All pieces are considered to occupy the home point.

(8) Once a piece has left the home point it may not return there.

The Symbolism of the Kali Board


The game of Kali is, itself, a yantra, a meditation focus. The symbols of the Kali game come from
the mystical traditions which are associated with Kali. Kali herself is a symbol of death and
destruction, devastation wrought in order to assure a better future.

The yantra border around the game is the earthly arena. It is the place where the drama of life
takes place, the stage of life upon which we are all actors.

The circle at the left of the board with the triangles inside it is one of the basic symbols of Kali
consciousness. The fifteen points of the five triangles represent the Nityas, or eternities of Kali.
Each Nitya has her own yantra and mantra conforming to the nature of each of the days of the
dark fortnight of the Moon.

The eight petalled lotus, symbol of enlightenment, surrounds the circle.

The circle itself is the symbol of eternal existence, all things emanating from the origin, the center
of consciousness.

The circle on the right contains the yin yang symbol which can be viewed as male and female
energies, positive and negative energies, or active and passive energies. The interplay of yin and
yang balance the whole of existence.

These are all within the purview of the lesson Kali offered the Prince to teach him the ways of
good and evil.

For information or comments about Kali,


or to order the game of Kali or replacement pieces
please contact John MacEnulty,
telephone 314-664-1400,
or email GameofKali@aol.com

Вам также может понравиться