What is Fanorona?

Fanorona is the traditional strategy game of Madagascar, played on a 9×5 grid of lines with 22 pieces a side. It has a capture rule found in few other games: you can capture by moving toward an enemy line or by moving away from one.

How to play

• Move one piece along a line to the next empty point. Diagonal lines exist only at points where they are drawn.
• Approach: move next to an enemy piece along your line of travel. That piece and the unbroken line behind it are captured.
• Withdrawal: move directly away from an adjacent enemy piece. That piece and the unbroken line behind it are captured.
• If you can capture, you must. A move that captures nothing is only allowed when no capture exists.
• After capturing, the same piece may carry on capturing. It may not repeat a direction back to back or return to a point used that turn. You may end the chain at any time.
• Capture every enemy piece to win.

Strategy

• Compulsory captures can be used as bait. Offer a piece to pull an enemy out of position, then take the longer line.
• Points with diagonals offer eight directions, so they are worth holding.
• Stopping a chain early can be better than walking into a recapture.

Ways to play

• Against the computer: four levels. Wins raise your rating, which sets your place on the leaderboard.
• Quick match: an online opponent, with a computer player stepping in if nobody is around.
• Play a friend: make a private room and send the code or link.
• One screen: two players take turns on the same device.

FAQ

What does Fanorona mean? It is the Malagasy name of the game, and the 9×5 board is known as fanoron-tsivy.

Is capturing compulsory in Fanorona? Yes on the first capture of a turn. Continuing a chain after that is optional.

Can Fanorona end in a draw? Yes. Perfect play from the starting position is a draw, and in this version a long stretch with no capture ends the game on piece count.