Basic Rules

Move Mechanics and Token Sowing

The game begins with the starting player choosing any non-empty pit on their side of the board.

• Leaving One Token Behind: The player scoops up all tokens from the chosen pit, leaves exactly 1 token in the starting pit, and then sows the remaining tokens one by one into subsequent pits in a counter-clockwise direction.
• Single-Token Exception: If the chosen pit contains only 1 token, it is moved directly into the adjacent pit to the right, leaving the starting pit completely empty.

Capturing Rules

When the final token of a move lands in a pit on the opponent's side, a potential capture is evaluated:

• Even-Number Capture: If the addition of the final token brings the total number of tokens in that opponent's pit to an even number (2, 4, 6, 8...), the player captures all tokens from that pit and places them into their Qazan (Storage Bowl).
• Odd-Number Result: If the resulting count remains an odd number, no tokens are captured, and turn control passes to the opponent.

The 'Tuzdek' Rule (Special Pit Ownership)

The 'Tuzdek' (literally meaning 'salted pit') is a key strategic tactical field in Toghyz Qumalaq:

• If a player's last sown token lands in an opponent's pit containing exactly 3 tokens, bringing the total to 4 tokens, the player can declare that pit as their 'Tuzdek'.
• All 4 tokens are immediately moved to the player's Qazan. For the rest of the game, any token landing in this pit—sown by either player—is automatically captured by the owner of the Tuzdek and routed to their Qazan.
• Restrictions on Tuzdek:
  • Each player can acquire only 1 Tuzdek per game.
  • A Tuzdek cannot be established on the opponent's 9th pit.
  • A player cannot claim a Tuzdek on a pit number identical to the opponent's active Tuzdek (symmetrical prohibition).

Game Termination and Victory Conditions

The game concludes under the following conditions:

• 82-Token Victory: The first player to collect 82 or more tokens in their Qazan wins immediately.
• Inability to Move (Atsyrau): If a player whose turn it is has zero tokens across all 9 pits on their side, 'Atsyrau' is declared. The remaining tokens on the opponent's side are swept into the opponent's Qazan, and final token counts are compared. A total of 81 tokens each results in a tie.