ASTANA—The fifth World Nomad Games in Astana will Showcase not only sporting events, but also intellectual disciplines. This year’s program These include exotic sports such as Mas-Wrestling, the national sport of Yakutia; Ovari, a thinking game from West Africa; and Mangala, a strategy game from Turkey. Kazakh teams will compete in all of these disciplines.
Ernur Mereshev. Photo credit: Kazinform.
Ovari, an intellectual game from West Africa, was first documented in 1620 by the English explorer Richard Jobson. According to Ernur Mereshev, the master of sports of international class and member of the Kazakh Ovari team, the game is similar to the Kazakh national game Togyzkumalakalthough there are differences.
“Ovari requires exceptional skills, precision and determination from its players, which makes it a true art on the field. This game is similar to Togyzkumalak and therefore easy for Kazakh players to understand,” said Mereshev.
Mereshev has been playing for Ovari for ten years.
Ernur Mereshev plays Ovari. Photo credit: Kazinform.
“My friend, who participated in international Togyzkumalak tournaments, introduced me to Ovari. He taught me the rules. I started with Togyzkumalak and now I actively compete in both games,” he added.
Since then, Mereshev has become a champion and winner of numerous Ovari tournaments, including championships in the Czech Republic, France, the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan. He secured second place at the third Asian Championship in 2023 and won gold at the same championship a year later. Mereshev also participated in the Nomad Games in 2018, where he finished fifth.
According to Mereshev, Ovari is relatively unknown in Kazakhstan. Although the game has been present in the country for over 15 years, it is still considered exotic by many.
“Few people in Kazakhstan know about Ovari. There are no training courses or tournaments held in the country. Those interested often use online platforms for training. Online tournaments are held every weekend with participants from more than 20-30 countries. The strongest players come from African countries, where this game originated,” said Mereshev.
Ovari rules explained
Ovari is a game for two players on a board with 12 small holes arranged in two rows of six holes each. In addition, there are larger hole vaults where players store their collected stones. The game begins with 48 balls distributed among the small holes. The six holes on each player’s side of the board represent his field, and the six holes opposite belong to his opponent.
Ernur Mereshev, master of sports of international level and member of the Kazakhstan Ovari team, at the World Nomad Games 2018. Photo credit: Kazinform.
The aim of the game is to collect as many balls as possible in the vault. The players take turns moving the balls out of their holes and capturing balls from the opponent’s field. The winner is the player who has collected the most balls.
The article originally appeared in Kazinform.
