O An Quan (Mandarin Square Capturing)
Sow stones around the board and capture the big mandarin stones.
How to play O An Quan
O An Quan (Ô ăn quan, "mandarin square capturing") is a Vietnamese stone game that children often draw in chalk on the ground. The board has two rows of five rice squares with five small stones each, and a half-circle mandarin square at each end holding one big mandarin stone. The bottom row is yours.
Goal
Score more points than your opponent. Each small stone is worth 1 point. A big mandarin stone is worth 10 points (or 5, if you pick that option).
Turn by turn
- Pick one of your rice squares that has stones, then pick a direction with the arrows (or the Left and Right keys).
- Take all its stones and drop them one by one into the next squares in that direction, mandarin squares included.
- Look at the square after your last stone. If it has stones, pick them up and keep sowing the same way.
- If that square is empty and the one after it has stones, you capture them. If the pattern "empty, then full" repeats, you capture again, and so on.
- Your turn ends when you meet two empty squares in a row, or when the next square is a mandarin square that still holds stones.
Young mandarin rule: a mandarin square that still holds its big stone can only be captured once it also holds at least 5 small stones. Before that, the move just ends there.
Empty side: if all five of your squares are empty when your turn starts, you put one stone back on each square from your captures. If you don't have enough, you borrow from your opponent and pay it back at the end.
End of the game
The game ends when both mandarin squares have been captured and are empty. Each player then takes the stones left on their own side. The player with more points wins.
Enjoy sowing games? Try the African classic Oware or Indonesian Congklak.
Strategy tips
- Count before you sow. Follow the stones in your head: where does the last one land, and what lies two squares beyond it? Both directions can give very different results.
- Aim for the mandarins. A big stone is worth as much as ten small ones. Keep an eye on mandarin squares that already hold 5 small stones.
- Set up chain captures. A row of alternating empty and full squares lets one move capture several squares at once.
- Don't leave gifts. An empty square next to a big pile invites your opponent to capture it. Spread out or move big piles first.
- Mind your own row. Running out of stones forces you to spend your captures, or even to borrow. Keep a few stones at home.
O An Quan (Mandarin Square Capturing) FAQ
What does Ô ăn quan mean?
It means "mandarin square capturing". The two big end squares are the mandarins (quan), and the small squares are the rice fields or people (dân).
Why couldn't I capture the mandarin square?
While it still holds the big stone, a mandarin square can only be captured once it holds at least 5 small stones too. This "young mandarin" rule is common in Vietnam.
What happens when my side is empty?
At the start of your turn you put one stone back on each of your five squares, taken from your captures. If you are short, you borrow from your opponent and the loan is paid back when the points are counted.
How strong is the computer?
Easy often plays at random. Medium looks a few moves ahead. Hard searches deep for chain captures and mandarin grabs.
