Māori (Aotearoa) · Strategy Game · 2 Players
How to Play Mū Tōrere
Mū tōrere is one of the very few board games the Māori are documented to have played before European contact. It is played on an eight-pointed star — eight outer arms (the kewai) around a central point (the pūtahi). Each player has just four pieces, there is no capturing, and you win by leaving your opponent with no legal move. Deceptively simple, it is mathematically a draw with perfect play.
The Board
The board is an eight-pointed star. The eight points of the star — its outer arms — are the kewai, numbered here 0–7 going around. At the very middle is a single extra point, the pūtahi. The lines of the star tell you which points are connected:
- Each outer arm is connected to its two neighbouring arms around the ring, and to the centre.
- The centre (pūtahi) is connected to all eight outer arms.
- An arm is not connected to the arms further around the ring — only its immediate neighbours.
● 0
● 7 ● 1
● ○ (● = black ○ = white)
6 ·pūtahi· 2 the four ● start on arms 0–3,
● ○ the four ○ on arms 4–7,
○ 5 ○ 3 and the centre starts EMPTY.
○ 4
Setting Up
- Place your four black pieces on four arms of the star in a continuous block, and the opponent's four white pieces on the other four arms.
- The centre point is left empty.
- Black moves first. (In this version you play black; the computer plays white.)
How Pieces Move
A move slides one of your pieces to an empty point that it is directly connected to. There are exactly three kinds of move:
The three move types:
- Arm → neighbouring arm. Slide a piece along the ring to an adjacent empty arm. Always allowed.
- Arm → centre. Move a piece from an arm into the empty centre — but only if one of that arm's two neighbours holds an opponent's piece. This is the famous centre-entry rule.
- Centre → any empty arm. A piece in the centre may move out to any empty arm. No restriction.
There is no jumping and no capturing — pieces simply slide into the one empty space, so at most one point is ever vacant on the ring (plus possibly the centre).
The Centre Rule — Why It Matters
The restriction on entering the centre is what gives Mū tōrere its bite. Because you can only slide into the centre when an enemy piece sits next to the arm you are leaving, you cannot freely park a piece in the middle to stall — and a clever opponent can deny you the centre entirely. (The earliest written accounts differ slightly on exactly when this rule applies; some restrict it only to the opening moves. This version applies it on every centre entry, which is the most common reconstruction and keeps the game sharp.)
How to Win
- Trap your opponent. When it is your opponent's turn and they have no legal move — every piece blocked — they lose, and you win. There is no other way to win; pieces are never captured.
- Perfect play is a draw. Mū tōrere has been completely solved: if both players play perfectly, neither can be trapped and the game is a draw. A win therefore comes from a single mistake — so play patiently and wait for the opening.
Strategy Tips
- Beware the centre. Moving into the centre can be a trap — it may give your opponent exactly the squeeze they need on the next turn. Hard difficulty will punish loose centre play.
- Count moves, not pieces. Since the loser is whoever runs out of moves, keep your own pieces mobile and try to clog your opponent's.
- Practice against Easy first. Easy plays loosely and will blunder, so it is a good way to learn the trapping patterns before facing the near-perfect Hard.
Cultural History
Mū tōrere is one of the very few board games the Māori are documented to have played before European contact. It is associated especially with the Ngāti Porou of the East Coast of Aotearoa New Zealand, who are recorded playing it on a slab of wood, a piece of bark, or simply marks drawn in the earth, using pebbles or beans as pieces. The eight-pointed star with its outer kewai and central pūtahi became a familiar motif of the game.
The rules given here are a standard reconstruction. Early written sources — from the ethnographer Elsdon Best to the mathematician Marcia Ascher, who analysed the game's strategy — diverge on small details, particularly on exactly when the centre-entry restriction applies, so no single fixed canon should be claimed.
A frequently recounted anecdote tells of the Ngāti Hauā chief Wiremu Tāmihana offering to play Governor George Grey a game of mū tōrere for the stakes of the country — an offer Grey is said to have declined. It is best treated as a recorded anecdote rather than firm history, but it captures how seriously the game's strategy was taken.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play Mū Tōrere?
Mū Tōrere is played on an eight-pointed star, with eight outer arms (the kewai) around a central point (the pūtahi), and each player controls four pieces. On your turn you slide one piece into the single empty point it is directly connected to, where a piece may enter the empty centre only if one of its arm's neighbours holds an opponent's piece, and a piece in the centre may move out to any empty arm. There is no jumping and no capturing.
Where does Mū Tōrere come from?
Mū Tōrere is a Māori board game from Aotearoa New Zealand and is one of the very few board games the Māori are documented to have played before European contact. It is associated especially with the Ngāti Porou of the East Coast, who played it on wood, bark, or marks drawn in the earth using pebbles or beans as pieces.
How do you win at Mū Tōrere?
A player wins at Mū Tōrere by trapping the opponent so that on the opponent's turn every piece is blocked and they have no legal move. Pieces are never captured, so this is the only way to win, and with perfect play the game is mathematically a draw.
How many players do you need to play Mū Tōrere?
Mū Tōrere is a two-player game, with each player controlling four pieces on the eight-pointed star.
Can I play Mū Tōrere online for free?
Yes, Mū Tōrere can be played for free on Cultural Games (playculturalgames.com) in any web browser, against the computer or a friend. It requires no download and no account.
Why is the centre rule important in Mū Tōrere?
In Mū Tōrere the centre point (pūtahi) can only be entered when one of the leaving arm's neighbours holds an opponent's piece, which prevents a player from freely parking a piece in the middle to stall. This restriction is what gives the game its strategic tension, since a clever opponent can deny the centre entirely.
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