The Ayo game is otherwise called ayoayo. Ayo game is a strategic board game otherwise known as “the game of the intellectual”, it is called the game of intellectuals because it requires strategic planning, mathematical skills, technical reasoning, patience, foresight etc.
It is one of the game I enjoy playing, I could remember my childhood days, I do play Ayo game with my friends during moonlight play, most times elderly people watch us play and reward the winner at the end of the game. It is indeed a fun game that can boost your mental ability and helps you to think fast. It is advisable for children to play such games as it helps to boost their mathematical skills.
Ayo is a popular game among Nigerians, virtually all ethnic groups find pleasure in playing Ayo game.
RULES OF AYO GAME
Ayo is a game played by two people. It is played in a well-designed carved wooden box containing twelve holes, six holes on each side and forty eight(48) Ayo seeds, four seeds in each hole. It can also be played using stones or periwinkle shell.
In some regions, 12 tiny holes is dug on the ground, six holes on each side, and forty eight pebbles , four is used in each hole. This method is an improvised method used in absence of a wooden box.
In this game, players move in an Anti- clockwise direction, they players can only pick seeds from their side of the board, they players are not permitted to pick seeds from their opponent’s holes unless they are capturing seeds from their opponent’s side.
The main aim of these game is to capture all your opponent’s seeds and takeover all his holes.
HOW IT IS PLAYED
The first player pick seeds from one of the holes in his side of the board, moves them in an Anti-clockwise direction while dropping one seed in each hole. If the last seed is dropped into an empty hole on the opponent side, the other player takes over but if the seed movement terminates in a hole with seeds, the player picks the seeds and continues until his last seed is dropped in an empty hole.
The other player takes over from this point. They players take turns until all the seeds or stones are exhausted. They opponent’s seeds are captured If the seed movement ends in a hole with four Ayo seeds on the opponent’s side, the player “captures” those seeds. when the seeds are captured, they are kept outside the board to avoid mixing it up with other seeds.
If one of the player has more number of seeds, he ends up taking over all the opponent’s holes and becomes the champion and final winner, the loser quits the game and a new player takes over.
STRATEGIES FOR WINNING AYO
For you to emerge as the champion in an Ayo game, you need to have a plan, strategic ones, you must be very calculative and technical in thinking, you, must have foresight to know your next move and you must be able to think fast and have the ability to know your opponent’s next line of action.
Here are some key strategies that players can employ to improve their chances of success.
1.Think fast: to win an Ayo game, you need to think fast, you do not just think on your next move but on your opponent’s next line of action.
2.Be calculative: people who are better off in mathematics tend to win because they are calculative, you should be able to know how to begin, where to begin and where your game will likely terminate.
These are the major strategies that could help one to be a champion of the Ayo game.
Thank you for reading.
This post is in response to the mayinleo daily prompt.
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