Mancala tournaments
From Wikinfo
Mancala games can be played in a competitive manner like other mindsports, e.g. Chess, Shogi, Xiang Qi, Go, Renju or Draughts. Every year hundreds of tournaments are organized throughout the world.
| Game | Tournaments | Leading Players | Notes |
| Oware | Andorra (Andorra-la-Vella, Sant Julià de Lòria); Antigua & Barbuda (Johnson's Point, St. John's); Argentina (Buenos Aires), Austria (Vienna); Barbados (Speightstown); Belgium (Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels); Burkina Faso (?); Canada (London ON), Czech Republic (Pardubice, Prague); France (Cannes, Castres (Midi-Pyrénées), Champsanglard (Limousin), Douai / Dowaai, Evry (Essonne), Fontvenelle (Gardanne), Garges-lès-Gonesse, Grenoble, Hendaye / Hendaia, Ivry-sur-Seine, Jouy-en-Josas, Le Bourg (Midi Pyrénées), Le Pradet, Lille / Ryssel, Lognes, Marseille, Mauguio, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, Noisiel, Paris, Portiragnes, Prat-Bonrepaux (Bas Couserans), Prélenfrey-du-Gua (Le Gua), Roubaix, Strasbourg / Straßburg, Tarascon sur Ariège, Tarbes (Midi-Pyrénées), Toulouse, Valbonne, Villenave d'Ornon, Wasquehal); Germany (Berlin, Halle, Niederzissen); Ghana (Accra, Brenu, Kumasi); Ireland (Dublin); Italy (Bari, Caldé (Lago Maggiore), Milano, Pisa); Ivory Coast (Abidjan, Kpouébo); Netherlands (Amsterdam); Nigeria (Ibadan, Ilesha, Osogbo); Portugal (Atouguia da Baleia, Aveiro, Batalha, Benedita, Braga, Évora, Leiria, Lisbon, Seixal); Slovenia (Ljubljana / Laibach); Spain (Argentona, Barcelona, Malgrat de Mar, Santa Susanna); Switzerland (Älen, La-Tour-de-Peiltz); Togo (?); UK (Cambridge, London, Manchester, Plymouth); USA (New York NY); US Virgin Islands (Saint Croix) | Ibrahim Abubakar ("Oware Killer"), Kwaku Solomon, Trevor Simon, September Christian, Pumpkin Lewis | The most popular mancala game; discipline of the Mindsports Olympiad (MSO) since 1997; International Oware Society (founded in 1995) based in London (UK). |
| Songo Ewondo | Cameroon (Douala, Oyop), Gabon (Franceville, Libreville, Oyem); France (Lille/Rijsel) | Vivi Metou, Lévy Megne-Masseko, Meba Mefame, Narcisse Nguema | Masters are called "Nti"; more than 50 tournaments each year; promoted by the Gabonese Culture & Arts Ministry |
| Kiothi | Kenya (Meru) | (?) | Last report in 1972; the current status of the Kiothi Club in Meru is unknown. |
| Selus Gebeta | Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) | (?) | Discipline of the traditional sports competition organized by the Addis Ababa Traditional Sports Federation every two years. |
| Imbelece | Germany (Niederzissen) | David Fischbach | First school tournament in 2008. |
| Bao | Italy (Senigallia); Malawi (?); Kenya (Lamu); Tanzania (Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar (Mikunguni, Mnazi Mmoja)); UK (Cambridge) | Abdulrahim Muhiddin Foum, Masaoud Hassan Ali ("Kijoumbe"), Ali Maulid Hussein ("Maulidi") | 16 member clubs of the Chama cha Bao ("Bao Society") on Zanzibar; discipline of the Mindsports Olympiad (MSO) in 2002; masters are called Fundi (about 10 on Zanzibar). |
| Omweso | Uganda (Kampala); UK (Cambridge, London) | Hudson Kyagaba, Mwodha Fredrick, Twaha Tinkamanyire | Discipline of the Mindsports Olympiad (MSO) in 2000-2003; National Game of Uganda; International Omweso Society in London (UK). |
| Igisoro | Canada (Montreal), Rwanda (Kigali) | (?) | Promoted by the Ministère de la Jeunesse et des Sports in Rwanda (since 1983) and Gilbert Rwirangira in Canada. |
| Kiela | Angola (Luanda) | (?) | Promoted by Bernardo Campos with the support of the Angolan government. First tournament in 1999. |
| Hus | Namibia (Windhuk) | (?) | Organized since 2002 by the Pan African Centre of Namibia (PACON) with the support of the Namibian President Sam Nujoma. |
| Moruba | South Africa (Bolobedu, Johannesburg, Mdantsane, Oudsthoorn, Polokwane, Sasekani, Tzaneen) | Lawrence Kashane; Solly Mabunda; Whisky Malatji; Job Malesa; Marcus Senyolo; D. Shikwambam; Gilbert Shingange; Petrus Shibambu | Promoted by the South African Sports Commission (SASC) since 2003. |
| Hawalis | Germany (Niederzissen); Oman (Masqat) | Dad Mohd | Clubs in Ruwa, Mutrah, and Seeb; a school tournament in Germany in 2008. |
| Toguz Kumalak | China (near Urumchi); Czech Republic (Pardubice, Prague); Kazakhstan (Aktau, Aktobe, Almaty, Arys, Astana, Karaganda, Karkaralinsk, Kostanay, Kyzylorda, Oskemen, Pavlodar, Shymkent, Stepnogorsk, Taldykorgan, Taraz, Uralsk); Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek, Cholpan-Ata, Issik-kul); Macedonia (Ohrid); Mongolia (Bayan Ölgiy); Russia (Chelyabinsk, Cherkessk (Karachay-Cherkessia), Gorno-Altaysk (Altay)); Spain (Barcelona); Turkey (Istanbul); UK (London) | H. Eleusinov, A. Nursejtov, Asel Dalieva, E. Kudaybergenova, Talgat Toktybayev | More than 30 Toguz Kumalak masters; over 20 national and international tournaments in Central Asia; discipline of the Mindsports Olympiad (MSO) 2006. |
| Chongka' | Guam (Mangilao) | (?) | Promoting Chamorro identity |
| Congkak | France (Paris); Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Terengganu, Miri (Sarawak), Pekan, Petaling Jaya, Seremban); USA (Evanston IL) | (?) | Mostly children. |
| Sungka | Philippines (Davao, Manila, Sagay City); South Africa (Pretoria); Taiwan (Taipei); UK (London); USA (San Pedro CA, Columbia MD, Dallas TX) | (?) | Promotes Filipino identity in migrant communities. |
| Kalah | Germany (Pfünz, Trier); Canada (Truro NS); Hungary (Sziget); Netherlands (Loenen aan de Vecht); USA (Kenai AL, Rogers AR, Peoria AZ, Anaheim CA, Bakersfield CA, Fresno CA, Hayward CA, Long Beach CA, Pleasanton CA, San Francisco CA, Vacaville CA, Denver CO, Coventry CT, New Haven CT, South Windsor CT, Watertown CT, Washington DC, Brandon FL, Miami FL, Port St. Joe FL, Wilton Manors FL, Ames IA, Champaign IL, Glenview IL, Lansing IL, Brownsburg IN, Richmond IN, Emporia KS, Manhattan KS, McPherson KS, Arlington MA, Bedford MA, Beverly MA, Fitchburg MA, Holbrook MA, Wareham MA, Westminster MD, Algonac MI, East Lansing MI, Saint Paul MN, Fort Leonard Wood MO, Peculiar MO, St. Louis MO, Missoula MT, Boiling Springs NC, Fort Bragg NC, Grand Island NE, Millville NJ, Seaside Heights NJ, Jamaica NY, Long Island NY, Pepper Pike OH, Gresham OR, Avella PA, Honesdale PA, Monroeville PA, Philadelphia PA, Phoenixville PA, Pittsburgh PA, Greenville SC, Rockhill SC, Collierville TN, Cunningham TN, Memphis TN, Arlington TX, Dallas TX, Freeport TX, Lake Jackson TX, Richmond TX, Newport News VA, Federal Way WA, Milton WA, Puyallup WA, Spokane WA, Tacoma WA, Green Bay WI, Reedsville WI, Verona WI | (?) | Mostly played by children. |
| Glass Bead Game | USA (Ann Arbor MI) | (?) | At an early U-Con Abstract Games Tournament (pre-2005). |
| Pyramidis | USA (Ann Arbor,MI) | (?) | Discipline of the 6th Annual U-Con Abstract Games Tournament (2006). |
| ZigZag | USA (Ann Arbor MI) | Amanda Rodeffer, Larry Wheeler | Discipline of the 7th Annual U-Con Abstract Games Tournament (2007). |
| Volcano | USA (Boston MA, Poughkeepsie NY, Columbus OH) | Joshua Drobina, Avri Klemer, Amy LoCurto | At Origins Convention (since 2001) and NonCon. |
| Game | Web Sites | Leading Players | Notes |
| Oware | AwaNet, Jijbent.nl, Kurnik, YourturnMyturn.com | (?) | Also called Mancala or Awale. |
| BohnDuell | Brettspielwelt | Philipp (?) ("racingphil"), Germany; Frank M. ("Puff"), Germany | First tournament in March 2003. |
| Diffusion | Super Duper Games | Scott Stubbs ("Lexicon"), USA | Winner of the Diffusion Subtournament (MSG Triathlon 2006). |
| Kalah | BrainKing | Ljubisa Popovic, Serbia; Ottavio Vargiu, Italy | Also known as "Mancala" in the USA. |
| Game | Tournaments | Notes |
| Awari | Netherlands (Maastricht); UK (London); USA (Albuquerque NM, Portland OR) | Solved game; former discipline of the Computer Olympiad |
| Computer Kalah | Germany (Bayreuth, Dresden, Hamburg, Oldenburg); Israel (Haifa); Sweden (Lund); USA (Tuscaloosa AL, Irvine CA, Grand Rapids MI, Rolla MO) | Game solved for most instances (but not for 6;6) |
Images
 Toguz Kumalak Tournament in Astana (Kazakhstan), July 5, 2005 |
 Toguz Kumalak Students Tournament (Kazakhstan) |
 M. Kurmanbetov (left) against V. Babenko (right), July 7, 2005 |
 Participants of the Toguz Kumalak Festival 2005 in Kazakhstan |
 Aualé Tournament in Barcelona (Catalonia), June 3, 2007 |
 Aualé School Tournament in Malgrat de Mar (Catalonia), May 12, 2000 |
 Antiguan Warri Team, Mind Sports Olympiad 2000, London (England) |
 Participants of the Awale Tournament in Cannes (France), 2006 |
© Wikimanqala.
By: Ralf Gering
Under the CC by-sa 2.5 license.
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