I bought a weird chess-like game in Africa but i don't know how to play it...?

Question

It is a table with the playing board engraved onto the table top, they gave me a bag of black beans but i have no idea how to play it. The table top has lots of round grooves where the beans appear to go. Does anyone know of this game and how to play it?

Answer 1

I don't think that's any kind of game.

Answer 2

A bag of black beans??? I don't think the game you're talking about is chess, because I know for a fact that chess not played with beans. Did you get white beans to go with the black beans?? If you did, I'm guessing it's checkers.

Answer 3

The Game is played by equaly distributing the black beans among the holes in the in the four, four format.
there are two sides of this game.
your side and you oponents side.
Then if you are to start. you choose from which hole you want to take the beans(remember you can only start picking the beans from your side) from then drop one bean in each hole if you run out of beans, take all the beans from the last hole in which you droped your last bean and redistribute them equally again on for each hole, repeat this proccess untill the last hole you drop the ball in is empty.
That is where the oponent will do the same

the main aim of this game is to collect all beans from both sides into you side of the board.
I am Kenyan But the game originated from western Africa !!!

Answer 4

the game call "m-bau" or 'wood plank'
there are few versions of the game. in general, it made for 2 players sitting facing each other and the objective is to capture all your opponants beans.
you should'v get a writen instructions with the game.
try to find an african to teach you. it is simple

Answer 5

The game's known as AYO. There are actually two ways to play the game.

The first and easier one is illustrated here: http://www.answers.com/topic/oware
The second:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A833816

Just check the links out it's got all you need to know.
Grew up playing it. Its fun!!