CONGKAK

Congkak is a game of wit played by womenfolk in ancient times. This game is usually played by 2 girls sitting face to face on the ground, using rubber seeds, saga or small marbles as the seeds. Seeds are points for the players. Total seed used depends on the number of pit in the congkak set. Say, if there are 5 pits, the total seed in each pit will be five and so on. The left most is the ‘Home’ for the player. To start the game, player chooses to take all the seeds from one pit and place one at a time into another pit including the player’s Home, moving in clockwise. Seeds are not to be put in opponent’s Home. If the last seeds in a play is placed in the player’s Home, she will be granted another turn on the other hand, if the last seed is placed in an empty pit on her side of the board, she will capture the seeds in the opposite pit and place in her own Home. The game will carry on till all the pits on one side are empty. The winner is the player who captured the most seeds.

STEPS TO PLAY CONGKAK

STEP1

• The congkak board consists of two rows of 7 holes called the 'houses' and two bigger holes called the 'storehouse'.

STEP2

•  Before the game starts the 'houses' are filled with seven congkak seeds each while the 'storehouses' are left empty.

STEP 3. 

• Both players begin simultaneously by scooping up all the shells in any house on their side. Each drops a shell into the next 'house' and continues clockwise depositing one shell into every house  thereafter. A player drops a shell into his 'storehouse' each time he passes it but does not deposit any into his opponent's 'storehouse'.

STEP 4 How the game continues, depends on where the last shell of each scoop is deposited.

• IF THE SHELL DROPS INTO THE PLAYER'S OWN 'STOREHOUSE':                              The player scoops up the shells from any of his 'houses' and distributes them in the cups ('houses') round the board but not in his opponents's 'storehouse'.
• IF THE SHELL DROPS INTO A 'HOUSE' (on either side of the board) CONTAINING SHELLS:                                                                                                                                 The player scoops up all the shells in that 'house' and continues distributing them as described above.
• IF THE SHELL DROPS INTO THE PLAYER'S 'HOUSE' WHICH IS WITHOUT SHELLS: The player is entitled to collect the shells in his opponent's 'house' directly opposite his own. These shells collected from his opponent's house together with his last shell are deposited in his own 'storehouse'. If the opponent's 'house' opposite his own is empty, he deposits only his last shell in his own 'storehouse'. He forfeits his turn and stops playing. It is the opponent's turn now to distribute the shells.
• -IF THE SHELL DROPS INTO AN EMPTY 'HOUSE' BELONGING TO THE OPPONENT: The player forfeits his turn and stops playing. He also forfeits his shell and leaves it in the opponent's 'house'. It is the opponent's turn now to distribute the shells.

STEP 5. 

• The first round ends when a player has no more shells on his side.

STEP 6

• Play resumes in the second round with players redistributing shells from their own 'storehouse' to their own 'houses'.                                                                                                    Beginning from left to right, seven shells are placed in each 'house'. If a player does not have sufficient shells to fill his own 'houses', the remaining cups are left empty and are considered 'burnt'. The leftover shells are deposited into his own 'storehouse.' The opponent deposits excess shells he has won into his own 'storehouse'.

STEP 7. 

• The loser gets to start the second round.                                                                              Play is continued as before but players will bypass 'burnt houses' for instance no shells are to be dropped into these houses. If a shell is accidentally dropped into a 'burnt house', it is confiscated and stored in the opponent's 'storehouse'.

STEP 8

• Play continues until one player loses all his 'houses' or concedes defeat.