What is congklak?

Congklak is a traditional board game that originated in Indonesia and is played by two players. The game is played using a board with two rows of seven holes or cups, with an additional larger hole or cup at either end called the "store". Each player has seven seeds, stones or marbles, which they distribute in the cups or holes on their side of the board.

The objective of the game is to capture as many of your opponent's seeds as possible while keeping your own seeds in play. Players take turns moving their seeds around the board, with each move involving picking up the seeds from one cup and dropping them one by one into subsequent cups in an anti-clockwise direction. If the final seed ends up in the player's store, they get an additional turn.

Players can capture their opponent's seeds by landing in a cup with exactly two or three seeds, with the captured seeds also being placed in the player's store. The game ends when one player has no more seeds on their side of the board, and the player with the most seeds in their store is declared the winner.

Congklak is a popular game in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, with variations of the game also played in Africa and the Caribbean. It is often played as a family or social game and is considered a way to develop strategic thinking and mathematical skills.