Kotu Ellima is a two-player
abstract strategy
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. ...
board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a comp ...
from
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
(formerly called Ceylon) played by the
Sinhalese people
Sinhalese people ( si, සිංහල ජනතාව, Sinhala Janathāva) are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the island of Sri Lanka. They were historically known as Hela people ( si, හෙළ). They constitute about 75% of t ...
. The game was documented by Henry Parker in ''Ancient Ceylon: An Account of the Aborigines and of Part of the Early Civilisation'' (1909); the game was printed as "Kotu Ellima" which is actually a misspelling because his source for the game was Leopold Ludovici's ''Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society'' (1873), and specifically in the chapter entitled "The Sports and Games of the Singhalese", and Ludovici wrote the name of the game as Kotu Ellime or Taking of the Castles.
[Singhalese is an archaic spelling of Sinhalese][''Taking of the Castles'' may not be an actual Sinhalese-to-English translation of ''Kotu Ellime''. ''Kotu'' may not actually be a Sinhalese word, but a close Sinhalese word is ''koti'' which means ''tiger''. But Kotu may actually be an arachaic spelling of the Tamil word for ''castle'' which is ''Kōṭṭai''. The Tamils are also an ethnolinguistic group inhabiting Sri Lanka. It's unsure what ''ellime'' may actually mean in English.] The game is similar to
draughts (checkers) and
Alquerque
Alquerque (also known as Qirkat from ar, القرقات) is a strategy board game that is thought to have originated in the Middle East. It is considered to be the parent of draughts (US: checkers) and Fanorona.
History
The game first appears ...
as players hop over one another's pieces to capture them; it is more similar to Alquerque between the two since it uses a standard Alquerque board. However, unlike draughts and standard Alquerque, the game is played on an expanded Alquerque board consisting of four triangular boards attached to the four sides of a standard Alquerque board. It closely resembles
Peralikatuma
Peralikatuma is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon). It is a game related to draughts (checkers) and Alquerque as players hop over one another's pieces when capturing them. The game was documented by ...
and
Sixteen Soldiers (or Sholo Guti) which are also played in Sri Lanka and other parts of the Indian subcontinent with the only difference being the number of pieces. In Sixteen Soldiers, each player has 16 pieces hence the name of the game. In Peralikatuma, each player has 23 pieces. In Kotu Ellima, each player has 24 pieces, and at the beginning of the game the whole board is covered with them except the central point reminiscent of standard Alquerque.
Setup
An expanded Alquerque board is used. Four triangle boards are attached to the center of the four sides of an Alquerqe board. Each player has 24 pieces distinguishable from the other player.
Pieces are placed on the intersections (or "points") of the board, and specifically on their half of the Alquerque board, the nearest triangular board and the triangular board on their right. Their last piece is placed on the point to the right of the central point of the Alquerque board. Only the central point is left vacant in the beginning of the game.
Rules
* Players alternate their turns
* A player may only use one of their pieces in a turn, and must either make a move or perform a capture but not both.
* A piece may move onto any vacant adjacent point along a line.
[The piece may also move in any direction provided it is available unlike in most variants of draughts where pieces are initially restricted to the forward direction]
* A piece may capture an opposing piece by the short leap as in draughts or Alquerque. The piece must be adjacent to the opposing piece, and leap over it onto a vacant point immediately beyond. The leap must be in a straight line and follow the pattern on the board.
[Ludovici does not mention if the piece can continue to capture within the same turn as found in many draught variants and Alquerque. Nor does he mention if captures are obligatory.] The captured piece is removed from the board.
* The player who captures all of the other player's pieces wins.
Related games
*
Peralikatuma
Peralikatuma is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon). It is a game related to draughts (checkers) and Alquerque as players hop over one another's pieces when capturing them. The game was documented by ...
*
Sixteen Soldiers (Sholo guti)
*
Permainan-Tabal
Permainan-Tabal is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Indonesia. The game is sometimes referred to as a cross between Alquerque and Draughts. It is essentially Draughts played on an expanded Alquerque board. It is especially simila ...
*
Draughts
Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; British English), is a group of strategy board games for two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform game pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over opponent pieces. Checkers ...
*
Alquerque
Alquerque (also known as Qirkat from ar, القرقات) is a strategy board game that is thought to have originated in the Middle East. It is considered to be the parent of draughts (US: checkers) and Fanorona.
History
The game first appears ...
*
Terhuchu, and the variant called War Game
*
Meurimueng-rimueng peuet ploh Tiger game played with forty, translation of ''meurimueng-rimueng peuet ploh'', is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Sumatra, Indonesia. The last part of the name, ploh, is sometimes spelled "plo". It is specifically played by the Aceh ...
*
Satoel
*
Astar (game) Astar is a two-player abstract strategy board game from Kyrgyzstan. It is a game similar to draughts and Alquerque as players hop over one another's pieces when capturing. However, unlike draughts and Alquerqe, Astar is played on 5×6 square grid wi ...
Notes
{{reflist, group=note
References
External links
Bona Ludo, 16 soldiers, Peralikatuma, Cows and leopards and Kotu ellima – cousins of Halatafl and DraughtsAres Cronida,The games of soldiersCyningstan, Traditional Board Games, Sixteen Soldiers
Abstract strategy games
Traditional board games