The game of Ayo
Ayò Ọlọ́pọ́n is so much fun!
Ayo, or Ayò Ọlọ́pọ́n in Yoruba
(pronounced, aah-yoh) is a traditional game played by the
Yoruba people who reside in South Western Nigeria. Known as the "Game of
the Intellectual", this game requires a lot of mathematical skill. Ayo
is played in with carved wooden box, containing twelve holes (with six
holes on each side), and 48 Ayo seeds (four seeds in each hole).
How to Play
This two player game runs counter-clockwise. Players can only pick up
seeds from their side of the board, unless they are “capturing” seeds
from the opponent’s side of the board. The objective is to “capture” all
your opponent’s seeds.Step 1:The first player begins by
picking up all 9 of the seeds from one of their holes, and running them
counter-clockwise while the opponent does the same, starting from their
side.Step 2:If the seed movement ends in a hole with
four Ayo seeds on the opponent’s side, the player “captures” those
seeds.When this happens, they win one “house” and remove the seeds from
the game.Step 3:The opponent must always choose their
move to bring one or more seeds into the other’s row.Players take turns
until the seeds are exhausted. Step 4:If a player
records three straight wins, they become a champion (ota). The loser
(ope) quits, and a new player then takes over. Have fun playing Ayo!