| abstract
| - Toguz Kumalak → German, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish. Toguz Kumalak ("nine pebbles") is the Kazakh name of a mancala game also known as Toguz Korgool ("nine dung balls") in Kyrgyz. The number 'nine' has a high significance in the folk beliefs and mythology of Central Asian peoples. It was considered auspicious. The Kyrgyz once divided the year into 40 weeks (one for every Kyrgyz tribe), each with nine days. The game is played in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, the Republic of Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, among the Kyrgyz in north-eastern Afghanistan (Wakhan), parts of Russia (Altay, Khakassia, Sakha, Tartaria, Tuva), by the Kazakh minority in western Mongolia (Bayan Ölgii) and in north-western China (near Urumchi in Dzungaria). Mancala games reached Central Asia by the Silk Road through the spread of Islam. A closely related game called Piç has been described from the village of Oguzkent near Erzurum (Turkey). It shows that a precursor of the game must already have existed when Turkish people migrated from Central Asia to Anatolia in the 12th century. The oldest Toguz Kumalak boards made of stone are dated in the 16th century. Many boards are traditionally carved in wood, but nowadays they are mostly produced of plastic. In the west, the game was first described in 1906 by Nikolai Nikolaevich Pantusov (Russia) and, in 1911, by Richard Karutz (Germany). The first tournament, in which players from all over Kazakhstan participated, was held in Almaty in 1948. It was won by Shorman Otegenov from Zhambyl. The Toguz Kumalak rules were unified in 1949 by Muchtar Avezov, Kalibek Kuanishbayev, Sh. Ibrayev and others. Before many different variants existed. Two of them, Bestemshi and Kozdatu, are still played by children. The National Championships of Kazakhstan started in 1974. In 1992, the first Woman Championship of Kazakhstan was won by Irina Nold, a German Russian who now lives in Frankfurt, Germany. Since the fall of the Soviet Union the game rapidly gains popularity in Central Asia. In 2003, the Kyrgyz Toguz Korgool Federation was formed. The Toguz Kumalak Federation of Kazakhstan began in 2004. In 2008, an international Toguz Kumalak federation was created. There are regular Toguz Kumalak championships held in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Russia (Altay). Local tournaments are also in Urumchi, China, and in Mongolia. The first tournament outside Central Asia was organized in August 2006 at the Mindsports Olympiad (MSO) in London, England. It was won by Aidos Seitzhanov from Kazakhstan. In 2007, tournaments were held in Istanbul (Turkey), Prague (Czech Republic), Ohrid (Macedonia) and London (England). In the following years more tournaments were organized in Pardubice (Czech Republic), Barcelona (Spain), Cannes (France), Schweinfurt (Germany) and La Tour-de-Peilz (Switzerland). On November 1-7, 2010, the first World Championship was held in Astana, Kazakhstan. The 25 participants of the men's championship represented 14 nations: Antigua and Barbuda, China, Germany, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Mongolia, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Turkmenistan, USA and Uzbekistan. The 18 players of the women's championship came from 10 countries: Azerbaijan, China, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Four nations sent full teams (3 players) in each gender: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Mongolia and Russia. Uzbekistan only had a full male team. Players from Egypt, Tadjikistan, and the Ukraine were also invited, but didn't come. The Toguz Kumalak World Champions were Asel Dalieva (women) and Galymcan Temirbayev (men). The best European player was Jurij Nold (Germany). On July 14-18, 2012, the second World Championship was held in Pardubice, Czech Republic. There were 42 players representing seven nations: Czech Republic, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Russia, Switzerland and the USA. The current Toguz Kumalak World Champions are Asel Dalieva (women) and Khakimzhan Eleysinov (men). Best non-Asian player was Jurij Nold (Germany). In 2011, Jurij Nold won the first European Championship in Pardubice (Czech Republic). He also became the National German Champion 2011. In 2002, the Kyrgyz Information Center "Toktom" in Bishkek published a computer program, which can play Toguz Kumalak against a human opponent. In 2005, the game was used by the computer scientist Kirk Scott at the University of Alaska (Anchorage) to teach his students the JavaScript programming language. Toguz Kumalak can be played online at the ig Game Center since September 16, 2009, where it has become one of the most popular games. In 2011, a very strong computer program called "Toguz Kumalak 2011" was developed by Yernar Shambayev who lives in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan. The games has also some supporters in South America and, in 2007, a Toguz Kumalak seminar was given in Santiago de Cali, Colombia. In Central Asia, the game is promoted as a national sport. Although it was originally played only by men, today many women are masters. There are also blind players such as M. Kurmanbetov. The current president of the National Toguz Kumalak Federation of Kazakhstan, Alikhan Mukhamedjevich Baimenov, was a professor of the Mining-Mechanical faculty in the Zhezkazgan branch of the Karaganda Polytechnic Institute of Motor Transport (1981-1992) and a candidate for President of Republic Kazakhstan from the Democratic party «Ak Zhol». It is estimated that there are about 10,000 organized players and about 200 official trainers in Kazakhstan alone.
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