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If you’re looking for something fun to play, congkak (pronounced “chong-kak”) is a classic Malaysian game that’s easy to learn. While congkak looks and plays similar to mancala, there are a few different rules to keep in mind before you start your game. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through how to play, including how to set up the board and take your turn.
Things You Should Know
- Player Count: 2
- Age range: 6 and up
- Required materials: Congkak board , 98 pieces (marbles, shells, seeds, or other small counters)
Steps
Setup
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Fill the smaller holes on a congkak board with 7 pieces each. A congkak board has 2 rows of 7 smaller holes called the “houses” and 2 larger holes on the ends called “storehouses.”
Each player sits in front of one row of houses so their storehouse is on their left.
Fill each of the houses with 7 pieces, like marbles, shells, seeds, or any other small objects you have on hand. Leave the storehouses empty. [2] X Research source -
Choose a first player at random. It doesn’t matter how you decide who takes the first turn, so flip a coin, play rock-paper-scissors, or choose at random.Alternatively, let the youngest player or the person who won the last game go first.
Gameplay
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Take the pieces from one house and distribute them clockwise. On your turn, choose one of the 7 houses in the row closest to you and take out all the pieces. Go clockwise around the board dropping 1 piece at a time into each house.
Be sure to drop a piece into your storehouse each time you pass it, but skip over your opponent’s.
In some variations, both players choose one of their houses and distribute pieces at the same time before alternating turns. [3] X Research source -
Continue your turn if you drop your last piece in a house with other pieces. If you put your last piece into any house that already has pieces in it, pick them all up and keep distributing them clockwise around the board.
If you place the last piece in your storehouse, choose any other house on your side of the board and take another turn. [4] X Research source
Strategy Tip : Pick houses on your turn that will let you make multiple moves. Count how many pieces are in a house before choosing it to figure out where the last piece will end up. -
Capture opponent pieces if your last piece goes in one of your empty houses. If you drop your last piece into one of your empty houses, place that piece and all the pieces in the house directly across from it in your storehouse.
If the house on your opponent’s side of the board is empty, just place your last piece into your storehouse.
Capturing pieces ends your turn immediately. [5] X Research source -
Lose your turn if you put your last piece in an opponent’s empty house. If you place your last piece into an empty house on your opponent’s side of the board, then it immediately ends your turn. Try your best to plan your moves so you end in a house that has other pieces in it. [6] X Research source
Winning the Game
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Win if you have the most pieces in your storehouse. Alternate turns until you’ve moved all the pieces from the houses into the storehouses on the board, which ends the game.
Count up all the pieces in your storehouse, and whoever has the most is the winner! [7] X Research source -
Redistribute the pieces and continue playing for a longer game. If you want to play a second round of Congkak, empty your storehouse. Start at the left-most house, and place 7 pieces into each of your houses.
If you’re able to fill all your houses with pieces, put any extras back into your storehouse.
If you don’t have enough pieces, any empty houses on your side of the board are considered “burnt.” If a player accidentally drops a piece into a burnt house, the piece goes straight into their opponent’s storehouse.
Whoever had fewer pieces starts the next round, following the same rules as before. The game ends once a player loses all their pieces or once all their houses are burnt. [8] X Research source
Community Q&A
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QuestionMay I show this site at a conference dinner?Community AnswerOf course. This website is for everyone to enjoy and learn new things.
Video
Tips
- Congkak may also be called sungka , congklak , or congka .Thanks
References
- ↑ https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=7bedd52d-ff96-472d-b423-4dc6790e98c8
- ↑ https://youtu.be/zAGYhT05AIc?t=18
- ↑ https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=7bedd52d-ff96-472d-b423-4dc6790e98c8
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Z2ZROjCjVP0?t=62
- ↑ https://youtu.be/zAGYhT05AIc?t=92
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Z2ZROjCjVP0?t=70
- ↑ https://youtu.be/zAGYhT05AIc?t=105
- ↑ http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1733_2010-11-26.html
About This Article
Congkak is a fun two-player game where each player tries to get more shells into their home than their opponent. To set up the game, place the Congkak board between you and your opponent, and place 7 shells in each hole on the board, not including the two homes at the ends. Then, choose one player to go first. On a player’s turn, they scoop up all of the shells in any one of the holes on their side and drop one into the next hole to the left, followed by the next hole to the left, and so on until they run out of shells in their hand. Players always drop a shell into their own home (the home to their left) when they pass by it, but they skip their opponent’s home. If a player's last shell drops in an occupied hole, the player picks up the shells in that hole and continues around the board. If a player drops their last shell into their own home, they take another turn and choose another one of their holes to grab shells from. If a player drops their last shell in an empty hole on their side, they collect all of the shells in the neighboring hole on their opponent’s side and put them in their home. Then, their turn is over. If a player drops their last shell in an empty hole on their opponent’s side, their turn is also over. The game continues until there are no shells left in any of the holes on the board. The player with the most shells in their home wins! To learn more, including how to play different variations of Congkak, scroll down!
Reader Success Stories
- "I've played this game in Malaysia. I bought a board, but couldn't remember how to play. Thanks for the clear instructions." ..." more
