Inzintamboan Checkers

History

The game we call Inzintamboan Checkers (locally known as Wokuhlola) first emerged some five hundred among soldiers in the Second Civil War. Pebbles were used for pieces and the "board" was usually drawn on piece of cloth that could wrap up the pieces for easy carrying. The earliest iterations used a six-sided die to decide movement and games went until all pieces were across the board. At some point after the war, but before the game started to gain respectability, the die was replaced with a deck of cards and the modern scoring system was introduced.
Inzintambo's legendary queen, Jabhile the Magnificent was an avid player. She would invite foreign diplomats to play and reward them with a bar of pure gold if they bested her. One man caught cheating found himself playing another round, using his teeth as playing pieces this time. He was executed when he lost. When the Caliph of Izquierda proposed marriage, he proposed with a set made with diamonds and rubies. She challenged him to a game. When she won ten in a row, he stormed off and declared war. (She beat him there too.)
The Great Queen's love of the game made it popular in diplomatic circles, eventually finding it's way to every corner of Elcadaver, where it's popularity is only rivaled by chess and five card draw.

Execution

• The deck is shuffled and divided evenly between players, who then shuffle their cards again.

• Each player arrange their piece in whatever manner they like on their side of the board.

• Each player draws five cards from their deck, and a coin is tossed to decide who goes first. If bets are to be placed, this is usually the time.

• The first player then plays a card from their hand, moving a chip of the matching suit the number of spaces indicated on the card. Diagonals are not allowed. Face cards allow the player to split their moves(Jack=5 Queen=7 King=10) between all chips of that suit.

• Play continues, with players taking turns playing cards and moving pieces.

• If a chip comes upon another chip, with moves left in its turn, and an empty space on the other side, it may jump that chip and continue on without penalty. Jumping an opponent's chip counts as One Point.

• Once a chip reaches the other side, it is removed from the board and Two Points are added to the score.

• Play continues until both players are out of cards. Then the score is tallied and the winner is declared.

Components and tools

• A deck of 52 cards.

• Sixteen chips for each player, four of each suit.

• A playing board, split into sixty four squares.

• A coin.

Participants

2 players

Observance

Played in coffee shops, parks, and some salons across Elcadaver. It's gaining some popularity out in the countryside.

Primary Related Location

Elcadaver

Related Ethnicities

• Brazoso
• Inzintamboan
• Izquierdana