Board and setup
A 9×5 grid of points; diagonals pass through alternate points. Each side has 22 stones and only the centre starts empty. White moves first.
Traditional / FANORONA
Fanorona
Capture by approach or withdrawal and sweep a whole line at once.
Madagascar’s capture game: approach or withdraw, then chain in new directions.
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FANORONAABOUT THE GAME
About the game
Fanorona is indigenous to Madagascar. It has three standard sizes: Fanoron-Telo on 3×3, Fanoron-Dimy on 5×5 and Fanoron-Sivy on 9×5, the most popular, which this site uses.
One legend tells that an astrologer advised King Ralambo to feign illness and give the kingdom to whichever son returned first; Prince Andriantompokoindrara was delayed playing fanorona, so the throne went to his younger brother Andrianjaka. In 2007 the game was solved as a draw under perfect play.
Reference：en.wikipedia.org ↗
Rules
Fanorona — How to play
Youzai Board Game Club — The server implementation governs play here; tournament and other site rules may differ.
Making a move
Move one step along a line to an empty point. Approach: an enemy stone lies right beyond the landing point. Withdrawal: an enemy stone lies right behind the starting point. That stone and the unbroken enemy line behind it are captured; if both apply, choose one. Capturing is compulsory.
Winning and draws
Capture every enemy stone, or leave the opponent without a move.
Rules on this site
The capturing stone may continue: every step must capture, may not repeat the previous direction and may not revisit a point this turn; you may stop at any time. This site declares a draw after 50 plies without a capture.
Helpful examples
- Each step captures by approach or by withdrawal, never both.
- A chain can stop at any time; ending on a safe point often matters more than one more capture.
- The board starts almost full, so the first moves are big exchanges; count the recapture before you strike.
Complete beginner guide
From setup to the end of the game
Read these steps in order to complete your first game. This guide combines public rules with this site’s server implementation; where versions differ, this site’s ruling applies.
Goal and setup
Each side has 22 stones on the 9×5 grid; only the centre is empty and White moves first. Capture every enemy stone to win.
Lines on the board
Orthogonally adjacent points are all connected; diagonals pass only through alternate points. Stones move one step along a drawn line.
Approach and withdrawal
Step to an empty point. If an enemy stone lies right beyond your landing point, that is an approach; if one lies right behind your starting point, that is a withdrawal. It and the unbroken enemy line behind it are captured. If both apply, choose one.
Compulsory capture
If any stone can capture, you must capture; plain moves are allowed only when no capture exists.
Capture chains
The same stone may keep capturing: every step must capture, may not repeat the previous direction and may not revisit a point this turn. You may stop at any time.
Beginner strategy
The opening is a wave of exchanges, so read your opponent’s recapture first, and end chains where you cannot be taken.
General rules reference：en.wikipedia.org ↗