Toguzkumalak (also written toguz kumalak or тоғызқұмалақ) is a traditional Kazakh two-player board game from the mancala family. Its name means "nine pebbles," and the core toguzkumalak rules take only a few minutes to learn, while the strategy can be studied for a lifetime. This guide walks through the board, the moves, how captures work, and the famous tuzdyk, followed by a short toguzkumalak FAQ.
If you want to practice while you read, you can play toguzkumalak online for free against the computer and against real people at 9qum.com, with ratings, tournaments, and lessons for every level.
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Toguzkumalak is a game of pure skill for 2 players — there is no luck, no dice, and no hidden information. Both players see the whole board at all times, so every result comes down to counting and planning ahead. Because of this, it is often compared to chess and checkers as a serious mind sport, and it is played competitively across Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
The goal is simple: move (or "sow") your pebbles around the board to collect as many of them as possible in your store. Whoever gathers more than half of all the stones wins the game.
The board is arranged in two long rows, one for each player. Here is the starting setup:
The kazan starts empty. Your own 9 otau are your starting material; your opponent's 9 otau are your target for captures.
Players take turns. On your turn you choose one of your own holes that still has stones in it, pick up its contents, and sow them one at a time, moving counterclockwise around the board (through your row and into the opponent's row).
There is one key detail about the starting hole:
You must always move on your turn, using stones only from your own side of the board.
Captures are how you fill your kazan. A capture happens based on where your last sown stone lands:
Because captures depend on making a hole even, experienced players constantly count parity — planning several moves ahead so that their final stone lands where it creates an even pile to scoop up.
The tuzdyk (sometimes spelled tuzduk) is the most distinctive rule in the game, and the answer to the common question what is tuzdyk is this: it is a "sacred" hole you win on the opponent's side that keeps feeding your kazan for the rest of the game.
A tuzdyk is created when your last sown stone makes one of the opponent's holes contain exactly 3 stones. That hole immediately becomes your tuzdyk: all 3 stones go into your kazan, and from then on every stone that later lands in that hole also goes straight into your kazan.
Important restrictions apply:
A well-placed tuzdyk is a huge advantage, because it steadily drains the opponent's stones into your store turn after turn.
Since there are 162 stones in total, more than half is 82. The player who collects more than 81 stones — that is, 82 or more — in their kazan wins the game. If both players reach 81, the game is a draw. A game can also end when a player has no legal move, at which point the remaining stones are counted according to the position.
How many stones are there in toguzkumalak? There are 162 stones in total, with 9 in each of the 18 holes at the start.
Which direction do you sow? Always counterclockwise, one stone per hole, continuing from your row into the opponent's row.
When do I capture? When your last stone lands in an opponent's hole and makes the number of stones there even — you take the whole pile into your kazan.
Can I have two tuzdyks? No. Each player can create only one tuzdyk for the whole game, it cannot be the opponent's 9th hole, and it cannot mirror the opponent's tuzdyk.
Where can I play toguzkumalak online? You can play toguzkumalak online for free at 9qum.com — against the AI or live opponents, with ratings, tournaments, and training to improve your game.
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