Zimbabwe · Strategy Game · 2 Players
How to Play Tsoro Yematatu
Tsoro Yematatu is a fast two-player alignment game of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Each player has just three seeds (yematatu means "of three"), and the goal is simple but sharp: line up your three seeds on one of the board's drawn lines. Place all three, then keep manoeuvring — sliding and jumping — until someone makes three in a row.
The Board
Tsoro Yematatu is played on a seven-point triangular board: an apex at the top, the two midpoints of the slanted sides, a centre point, and the three points of the base. Five straight lines are drawn across it — the two slanted sides, the base, a vertical line from the apex to the base's centre, and a horizontal line across the middle. Those five lines are the only winning lines; no other set of three points counts.
(apex)
/|\
/ | \
(m)-+-(m) <- the two side-midpoints + centre
/ | \
/ | \
(bl)---(bc)---(br) <- the base: left, centre, right
5 lines: left side · right side · base ·
apex-centre-base · the middle row
Setting Up
- Each player has 3 seeds, held "in hand" off the board.
- The board starts empty.
- Black moves first.
The Two Phases
Phase 1 — Placement
Players take turns dropping one seed on any empty point until all six seeds (three each) are on the board. You can already win during placement — so watch your opponent: if you let them place their third seed on a line, you have lost.
Phase 2 — Movement
With all six seeds down (and one point always empty), players take turns moving one seed. There are two kinds of move:
- Slide: move a seed along a line to an adjacent empty point.
- Jump: hop over a neighbouring seed — your own or your opponent's — landing on the empty point directly beyond it on the same line. Jumps do not capture; the jumped seed stays put. Jumping is allowed at any time, not only when you are stuck.
How to Win
- Three in a row. Get all three of your seeds onto one of the five drawn lines — during placement or movement — and you win.
- Draw. If neither side can force three in a row and play stalls, the game is a draw.
Strategy Tips
- The centre is king. The central point sits on four lines and connects to four neighbours — controlling it gives you the most threats and the most mobility.
- Make a double threat. Aim for a position where you threaten two different lines at once — your opponent can only block one.
- Mind the jump. A jump can suddenly drop a seed onto the far end of a line. Always check whether your opponent can jump into a win before you move.
- Block early. Because you can win during placement, never leave two of your opponent's seeds on a line with the third point reachable.
Cultural History
Among the Shona of Zimbabwe, tsoro is a general name for a whole family of traditional board games — from mancala-style sowing games to larger alignment and draughts-like games. Yematatu means "of three," for the three seeds each player commands, so this little game is the three-in-a-row member of that family.
Tsoro games were woven into everyday social life — used to teach children counting and strategy, to pass the time, and at times by adults to compete and settle scores. The boards were commonly scratched into the earth and played with seeds or pebbles, needing no special equipment at all.
Like many small traditional games, Tsoro Yematatu's written rule record is thin and rests largely on oral transmission and a handful of secondary write-ups; the version here is a faithful reconstruction of the most widely-cited rules — jumping permitted at any time, and a line allowed to be completed during the placement phase.
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