![Three Men's Morris variant board](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Three_Men%27s_Morris_variant_board.svg)
Achi is a two-player
abstract strategy game
Abstract strategy games admit a number of definitions which distinguish these from strategy games in general, mostly involving no or minimal narrative theme, outcomes determined only by player choice (with no randomness), and perfect information. ...
from
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. It is also called tapatan. It is related to
tic-tac-toe
Tic-tac-toe (American English), noughts and crosses (Commonwealth English), or Xs and Os (Canadian or Irish English) is a paper-and-pencil game for two players who take turns marking the spaces in a three-by-three grid with ''X'' or ''O''. T ...
, but even more related to
three men's morris
Three men's morris is an abstract strategy game played on a three by three board (counting lines)
that is similar to tic-tac-toe. It is also related to six men's morris and nine men's morris. A player wins by forming a mill, that is, three of thei ...
,
Nine Holes
Nine Holes is a two-player abstract strategy game from different parts of the world and is centuries old. It was very popular in England. It is related to tic-tac-toe, but even more related to three men's morris, Achi, Tant Fant, Shisima, Pic ...
,
Tant Fant
Tant Fant is a two-player abstract strategy game from India. It is related to tic-tac-toe, but more closely related to three men's morris, Nine Holes, Achi, Shisima, and Dara, because pieces are moved on the board to create the 3 in-a-row. It is ...
,
Shisima
Shisima is a two-player abstract strategy game from Kenya. It is related to tic-tac-toe, and even more so to three men's morris, Nine Holes, Achi, Tant Fant, and Dara, because pieces are moved on the board to create the 3-in-a-row. Unlike tho ...
, and
Dara
Dara is a given name used for both males and females, with more than one origin. Dara is found in the Bible's Old Testament Books of Chronicles. Dara “רעwas a descendant of Judah (son of Jacob). (The Bible. 1 Chronicles 2:6). Dara (also known ...
, because pieces are moved on the board to create the 3-in-a-row. Achi is an alignment game.
There are two versions of this game. In one version, each player has four pieces to drop. This is the version described below. In another version, each player has only three pieces to drop, which makes it identical to three men's morris.
Equipment
A 3Ă—3 board is used. Three horizontal lines form the three rows. Three vertical lines form the three columns. Two diagonal lines connect the two opposite corners of the board. The board is easily drawn on the ground or paper.
Each player has four pieces. One plays the black pieces, and the other plays the white pieces; however, any two colors or distinguishable objects will suffice.
Rules and gameplay
# The players take turns to place one of their counters on a point where lines join.
# When all eight counters have been placed, each player can move along a line to an adjacent empty point.
The winner is the first player to create a 3-in-a-row of one's counters either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
See also
*
Picaria
Picaria is a two-player abstract strategy game from the Zuni Native American Indians or the Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest. It is related to tic-tac-toe, but more related to three men's morris, Nine Holes, Achi, Tant Fant, and Shisim ...
*
Three men's morris
Three men's morris is an abstract strategy game played on a three by three board (counting lines)
that is similar to tic-tac-toe. It is also related to six men's morris and nine men's morris. A player wins by forming a mill, that is, three of thei ...
, also called Tapatan—a cited predecessor
*
Nine Holes
Nine Holes is a two-player abstract strategy game from different parts of the world and is centuries old. It was very popular in England. It is related to tic-tac-toe, but even more related to three men's morris, Achi, Tant Fant, Shisima, Pic ...
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080828074020/http://www.math.niu.edu/~rusin/uses-math/games/rows/misere
* Play online https://mpaulweeks.github.io/achi/
* Play online https://parlor-games.azurewebsites.net/game/ternilapilli/
* https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28931/achi
{{Tic-Tac-Toe
, state = expanded
Abstract strategy games
Traditional board games
African games