Fanorona
Madagascar's national board game — capture by approach or withdrawal on a 5×9 diagonal grid.
🌤indoor
What is Fanorona?
Fanorona is the national board game of Madagascar, derived from Alquerque and played on a 5×9 grid with both orthogonal and diagonal lines. Each player has 22 pieces. Uniquely, captures happen not by jumping but by approaching or withdrawing from a line of enemy pieces along the direction of movement — an entire line can be captured in a single move.
Quick facts
Category
Board Games
Type
Individual
Players
2–2
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇲🇬 Madagascar
Estimated origin
17th-century Madagascar
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
Sources & provenance
Last verified 2026-08-24.verified