Generally Accepted Rules for the game of Morabaraba
The following rules are to be used in all championships:
General:
- The rules for the version, as depicted in the above image, are known as the Generally Accepted Rules (GAR).
- For competition play, the board may be made of any material as long as the board has the approved notation which is owned by the International Wargames Federation.
- Board sizes are:
- For Provincial, National, and International Championships – 490mm x 490mm (Cows being 45mm in diameter and 5mm in depth), and
- All other competitions – 300mm x 300mm (Cows being 30mm in diameter and 10mm in depth).
- All cows shall have IWF''s logo on the cow.
- There are 24 junctions on the board.
- Each player is issued with a set of 12 cows. One set being of a dark colour, and one set being of a light colour.
- The colour white may not be used for cows as the colour may confuse players as to whether a cow has been placed.
- The outside ring is known as the “Exterior Ring” and the junctions are numbered clockwise from from the top left hand corner E1 to E8.
- The middle ring is known as the “Principle Ring” and the junctions are numbered clockwise from from the top left hand corner A1 to A8.
- The inner ring is known as the “Restricted Ring” and the junctions are numbered clockwise from from the top left hand corner R1 to R8.
- The notation was developed by Dr. Evgenii Rabiner.
- Notation shall be scored as follows:
- When placing cows – just write the junction's address, that is “A1”, or “E5”, etc.
- When moving cows – write down the initial junction's address with a hyphen and then the final function's address, for example: “A1 – A8”
- When moving a cow to form a line and 'shooting' one of your opponent's cows, write down the initial junction's address with a hyphen an then the final function's address a multiplication sign and the address of the cow that has just been 'shot', for example: “A1 – A8 x E1”
- Notation of a typical game may appear as follows:
- The notation for the board is owned by the International Wargames Federation, and boards are readily available from Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA).
How to play:
Play consists of three stages:
Stage 1:
- Each player starts with 12 tokens called "cows".
- The player who has been allocated the dark colour begins.
- Starting with a clear board, each player alternatively places one cow at a time on a junction (circle). The aim is to create rows of three, either vertically, diagonally, or horizontally. Cows may only be placed on unoccupied junctions.
- When three-in-a-row is achieved, the player may remove (shoot) one of the opponent's cows. A player can not shoot an opponent's "three-in-a-row" cows if there are other cows on the board left to shoot.
- Only one of the opponent's cows may be shot at a time, even if two (or more) lines of three-in-a-row are achieved with one move.
- Once a cow is shot, it shall not be used in play again.
Stage 2
- When all twelve cows of each player have been placed on the board as per Stage 1, cows may be moved from one junction to another. A move consists of moving a cow from one junction to an unoccupied junction immediately linked and adjacent to that junction.
- Players may break their own lines of three-in-a-row in order to make new lines, or simply reposition their cows.
- Cows may be moved back and forth to the same two junctions repeatedly. A three-in-a-row may be made, broken and remade repeatedly.
- Notwithstanding the rule that lines may be broken and remade repeatedly, if a player breaks a line to immediately create a new line of three ‘cows’, such player may not move such cow back to the original junction in his/her next move, if it creates a new line.
For example:
Should a player have a ‘cow’ on the junction marked E6, such player may move it to the junction marked as A6 to immediately create a new line. However, in such player’s next move, he/she may not move the cow back to A6, instead, such player must do a different move before moving the cow back to E6 to immediately create a new line.
- Each time a three-in-a-row is remade, an opponent's cow shall be shot.
Stage 3
- When a player has lost all but three cows, then a player may move a cow to any vacant junction on the board with each move.
Winning the game
- The game is won when the opponent cannot move any cows: or when the opponent has lost all but two cows.
- When a player is down to three cows, and neither player is able to shoot an opponent's cow within ten moves, the game is a draw.
- For National Championships and National Team Trials, failure to hand in a correct Notation Sheet is an automatic loss.
Competition rules
- Boards and counters shall be provided for the competitors.
- A modified Swiss Chess system will operate throughout the competition. Players shall not play against any relatives in the first degree of consanguinity. Thus a player would not be allowed to play against his/her spouse, parent, brother, sister, and/or child. Additionally where possible a player will not be drawn against any fellow club or team member in the first two rounds of the competition.
- The current IWF scoring system shall be used, that is 1 point for a victory, ½ a point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss per game.
- Each player shall play six games against each opponent. Each player shall start three of such games.
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