Seega is a game played in North Africa, and is particularly well-known in Egypt and Sudan. It is a game that is similar to checkers or alquerque, but has a custodial capture mechanism instead of leaping. It has been documented since the nineteenth century, but is likely to be older. The boards are typically scooped out of the sand or etched into stone surfaces.
Rules
The board can be five by five, seven by seven, or nine by nine. Players begin by placing their pieces in prescribed spaces, and then alternating two-by-two in places as they see fit, except for the central space. Once all the spaces except the central one are filled, the first player moves a piece one space orthogonally to the empty space. Pieces are captured by surrounding them on either side by a player's own pieces. Multiple captures are allowed. The player to capture all of the opponent's pieces wins.
Origin
North Africa
Ludeme Description
Seega.lud
Variants
Evidence Map
4 pieces of evidence in total. Browse all evidence for Seega here.
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Sources
Bolton, H. 1890. 'Seegà, an Egyptian Game.' Journal of American Folklore 3(9):132–134.
Davies, R. 1925. 'Some Arab Games and Puzzles.' Sudan Notes and Records. 8: 137–152.
Lane, E. W. 1860. An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians. London: John Murray.
Marin, G. 1931. Somali Games. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 61: 499-511.
Murray, H.J.R. 1951 A History of Board-Games Other Than Chess. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Parker, H. 1909. Ancient Ceylon. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services.
