Madagascar · Strategy Game · 2 Players

How to Play Fanorona

Fanorona is the national board game of Madagascar - a deep strategic game where pieces capture by approach and withdrawal rather than jumping. Played on a 9×5 grid of intersections, it rewards forward planning, spatial awareness, and the ability to chain multiple captures in a single turn.

The Board

Fanorona is played on a grid of 9 columns × 5 rows = 45 intersections. Unlike chess or checkers, pieces sit on the intersections, not the squares.

The key feature: not all intersections connect diagonally. Some intersections have 4 connections (the four cardinal directions), while central intersections have up to 8 connections (including diagonals). This creates "strong" and "weak" positions on the board - a piece on a strongly connected intersection has more movement options.

  ●-●-●-●-●-●-●-●-●
  |×|×|×|×|×|×|×|×|
  ●-●-●-●-●-●-●-●-●
  |×|×|×|×|×|×|×|×|
  ●-●-○-●-◇-●-○-●-●
  |×|×|×|×|×|×|×|×|
  ○-○-○-○-○-○-○-○-○
  |×|×|×|×|×|×|×|×|
  ○-○-○-○-○-○-○-○-○

● = White (top)  ○ = Black (bottom)  ◇ = Empty center

Setting Up

White pieces fill the top 2 rows (18 pieces).
Black pieces fill the bottom 2 rows (18 pieces).
The middle row (row 3) is partially filled - White and Black alternate with one empty space in the center.
Black moves first.

The Two Capture Types

Fanorona's defining feature is its two unique capture mechanics. Both can clear entire lines of enemy pieces in a single move - this is what separates Fanorona from every other strategy game.

Approach Capture

Move your piece toward an adjacent enemy piece. That enemy piece - and every enemy piece in a straight line behind it - is captured and removed from the board.

Example: Moving right toward an enemy, you capture that piece and all enemies lined up behind it to the right.

Withdrawal Capture

Move your piece away from an adjacent enemy piece. That enemy piece - and every enemy piece in a straight line behind it - is captured and removed from the board.

Example: Moving left while an enemy is directly to your right - you capture that enemy and all enemies lined up behind it to the right.

Key insight:

A single move can only be either approach or withdrawal - not both simultaneously.
If both options exist, you choose which type of capture to execute.
A move that captures nothing is called a Paika move.

Turn Rules

You must capture if any capturing move is available. Non-capturing (Paika) moves are only legal when no capture exists.
After capturing, you may continue capturing with the same piece - but only by moving in a different direction each time (no revisiting the same position in one turn).
You can keep chaining captures until no more are available, then your turn ends.

How to Win

Capture all of your opponent's pieces. The player who eliminates every enemy piece wins. A player with no legal moves (no pieces or all pieces blocked) also loses.

Strategy Tips

Control the center. Strongly connected intersections give more movement options - anchor pieces in the center to maximize capture reach.
Choose approach vs. withdrawal carefully. Both capture the same direction's line - but the direction you move determines which pieces you threaten next.
Set up chain captures. A single piece that chains 3–4 captures in one turn can swing the entire game. Plan 2 moves ahead to create chain opportunities.
Paika moves are positional. When no capture is available, use Paika moves to reposition for the next capturing sequence.

Cultural History

Fanorona has been played in Madagascar since at least the 17th century. According to Malagasy legend, a general used the game board to plan military strategy - the approach and withdrawal mechanics mirroring the tactics of advancing and feinting in battle.

The game is deeply embedded in Malagasy culture, played at community gatherings and cultural festivals across the island. It is recognized as part of Madagascar's intangible cultural heritage.

Fanorona is notable in the academic study of abstract strategy games for its completely unique capture system - no other major traditional game uses approach and withdrawal as its primary mechanic. Game theorists have studied Fanorona extensively; the game was weakly solved by computer analysis in 2007, with perfect play resulting in a draw - though at the human level, the depth of the strategy is effectively inexhaustible.

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