Fanorona
Quick Pitch
Fanorona is a traditional Malagasy board game where players capture opponents' pieces by approaching them in a line — a unique capture mechanic found almost nowhere else in the world.
Hook
Most capture games ask you to jump over an opponent's piece. Fanorona is different: you capture pieces by moving toward them in a line, and all the pieces in that line are swept away at once. A single well-placed move can remove four or five pieces in one stroke. Fanorona comes from Madagascar and has been played there for centuries — it's one of the most strategically distinctive board games in the world, with capture rules unlike anything in Checkers or Chess.
Equipment Needed
- A 9×5 board with intersecting lines (similar to a grid, but with diagonal connections at specific points)
- 22 pieces per player in two distinct colors (44 total)
Improvising:
- Draw the board on paper or cardboard
- Use coins, buttons, or any two sets of distinguishable objects
Setup
- Draw or prepare the 9×5 board. The board has 45 intersection points connected by horizontal, vertical, and (at certain points) diagonal lines.
- Place white pieces on the top two and a half rows and black pieces on the bottom two and a half rows. The middle row (row 3) starts with pieces alternating between the two colors — this can vary; establish a starting arrangement before play.
- Decide who moves first.
Rules
Objective
Capture all of your opponent's pieces. The player whose pieces are completely eliminated loses.
Movement
On your turn, move one piece to an adjacent empty intersection point along any line on the board (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal where lines permit).
Capturing: Two Types
Fanorona has two distinct capture methods, both triggered by movement:
Approach capture: Move your piece toward a line of one or more enemy pieces. All enemy pieces in that direction, in an unbroken line from where you land, are captured and removed from the board.
Withdrawal capture: Move your piece directly away from a line of enemy pieces. All enemy pieces that were directly behind your piece (in the direction you moved away from) are captured and removed.
In both cases, the capture is automatic — it happens because of where you move, not by jumping over anything.
Choosing Which Capture
If both an approach and withdrawal capture are possible from the same move, you must choose one. You cannot capture in both directions from the same move.
Multiple Captures in One Turn
After making a capture, your piece may continue moving to make additional captures — but only if the next capture uses the other method (approach after withdrawal, or withdrawal after approach). You cannot capture twice in the same direction. When you have no further captures available (or choose to stop), your turn ends.
No Captures Required
Unlike in Checkers, captures are not mandatory in Fanorona. If you can capture but choose not to, that's a legal move.
Winning
The player who captures all of their opponent's pieces wins. If a player cannot move (very rare), they lose.
Expert Player
Tips
Understand the approach mechanic deeply. An approach capture that lines up three or four enemy pieces in a row is enormously powerful — it's equivalent to multiple jumps in a single move. Look for opportunities to set up such lines.
The withdrawal capture is often overlooked. New players focus on approach, but withdrawal captures are equally powerful and sometimes easier to set up. Practice visualizing backward: what pieces are directly behind yours, and can you move away to capture them?
Multi-capture turns are decisive. If you can alternate approach and withdrawal captures across several moves in one turn, you can dramatically swing the piece count in a single turn. Planning multi-capture turns is the core of advanced Fanorona strategy.
Protect your own lines. Just as you look for opponent pieces in lines to capture, your opponent looks for yours. Keep your pieces from forming long, unprotected lines in directions your opponent can approach from.
Control the center. The center of the 9×5 board has the most line connections. Pieces in the center have the most mobility and the most capture directions available.
Variations
- Smaller board versions: Some players use a 5×5 board with fewer pieces for a shorter game, good for learning.
- Mandatory captures: Some house rules require that if a capture is available, it must be taken. This makes the game more forcing and tactical.
Learn More — History & Origins
History & Origins
Fanorona is a traditional board game of Madagascar, with documented history going back at least to the 17th century. The game's name comes from the Malagasy language, and it is deeply woven into Malagasy cultural life. When the French colonized Madagascar in the late 19th century, European observers noted that Fanorona was the country's most popular strategy game, played by people of all social classes on boards carved from wood or drawn in the earth.
The game's most historically documented moment involves the Merina Kingdom of central Madagascar. According to Malagasy historical tradition, during the French colonial conquest of 1895, the Merina queen Ranavalona III was playing Fanorona when French forces arrived at the capital Antananarivo. The game thus became associated with the fall of the last independent Malagasy kingdom — a bittersweet cultural resonance that gives Fanorona a significance beyond that of an ordinary game.
Cultural Context
Fanorona remains the national game of Madagascar and a symbol of Malagasy cultural identity. The game is still widely played, taught to children as part of cultural education, and featured at cultural festivals and events. Its approach-and-withdrawal capture mechanic — found in almost no other board game worldwide — is uniquely Malagasy, representing a completely independent invention of a sophisticated strategic principle.
The game has attracted attention from game researchers and mathematicians interested in its unusual capture mechanics. Computer scientists have studied Fanorona as a challenging game-tree search problem, and the game has been solved by computer to a draw with perfect play on some board configurations. Its inclusion in game theory research and cultural preservation efforts reflects the dual significance Fanorona holds: as both a strategic puzzle of genuine mathematical interest and a living cultural heritage.