Nerenchi (illustrated on the left) is a game from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). It is a variation on the Mill game (illustrated on the right).
The boards in the two games differ, in that the Nerenchi board has diagonal lines joining the corners of the squares. The board may be drawn on the ground or on wood. Nerenchi requires use of "twelve counters", while the Mill game uses nine counters.
Players play on the 24 points where the lines meet. Two players, each with 12 counters of one color, take turns placing one counter at a time on an empty point, until 22 counters are placed and two points are left empty.
Player's attempt to make a Nerenchi - three counters in a row during placement of the 22 counters. A Nerenchi may be made along any three points joined by a line - vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.
A player making a Nerenchi during the placement phase, takes an extra turn.
The last player to place a counter begins the next phase of the game.
After all the counters are placed, the next player may move one counter in an attempt to make a Nerenchi. If the player can do this, he then removes one of the opponent's pieces from anywhere on the board.
The loser is the player that has lost all but two counters, or is blocked from moving.
Last update March 30, 2010