Fanorona

About this board game

Fanorona is a classical two-player strategic abstract game from Madagascar, with matches lasting about 20 minutes. Released in 1680, it is still popular on the island today.

The game is played on a rectangular board formed from two Alquerque boards, using 22 plain black and white pieces. At the beginning, the board is exceptionally dense, with only one open spot, creating a tense position from the very first move.

Capturing is compulsory, and the same piece may make a series of captures during a turn, as in checkers. Fanorona’s defining capture system gives players two ways to take opposing pieces:

• Approaching: moving toward a line of enemy pieces to capture.
• Withdrawing: moving away from a line of enemy pieces to capture.

These unusual capture options make the board difficult to read and the strategy complex and enigmatic. A player with fewer pieces can sometimes defeat an opponent with more, so simply gaining material does not guarantee success.

After a decisive game, the winner must play the vela partie, or “debt game.” For 17 consecutive moves, the winner must let the loser “eat” one man each turn, adding a distinctive ritual to Fanorona’s competitive play.

Historical accounts associated with the game box say that some Fanorona matches were devoted to the Gods. They also describe the fate and colonization of Madagascar in 1895 as supposedly being resolved without bloodshed through Fanorona played on the game table. With its compact board, compulsory captures, and unconventional attacks, Fanorona offers a deeply unusual abstract challenge for two players.