Notes on Malay Indoor Games, 



By 0. T. Dussek. 



While reading Dr. C. Snouok Hurgronje's book, ' The Acheh- 

 nese' (the late Mr. O'Sullivan's translation), I came across some 

 notes on a game called 'main pacheh,' and on enquiring I found 

 that the game is well known among Penang Malays. The board 

 used, however, and the scoring are so different as to be worthy of 

 record. 



I attach diagrams and short notes in order to point the con- 

 trast. 



Main Pacheh. 



The Acheh Game. 



This game can be played by 2, 3, or 4 persons, each player 

 sitting at one extremity of the cross-shaped board, (see Diagram 1). 



Each player has four pieces which at the commencement of the 

 game he places in the central circle i.e. opposite A, B, C, D, respec- 

 tively. 



The idea of the game is similar to our children's race-games, 

 all the pieces having to career round the board, and the player all 

 of whose pieces reach home first wins the game. [The course to be 

 taken by one of C's pieces is dotted in the diagram]. 



The players throw by turn with seven cowrie shells, which must 

 fall with the opening either upward or downward, and score as 

 follows : — 



7 £ 



hells 



opening 



upwards 



= 14* 



6 



a 



a 





a 



= 30* 



5 



a 



» 





a 



= 25* 



4 



a 



a 





a 



= 4 



3 



»_ 



a 





a 



= 3 



2 



a 



a 





a 



= 2 



1 



a 



a 





a 



= 10 



7 



a 



a 



downwards 



7* 



* Secures an extra throw 











After each throw a player moves any one of his pieces (at his 

 own selection) over a number of squares equal to the number of 

 his throw. 



A great point of the game is to try and '' pukul * an opponent 

 i.e. to reach a square on which an opponent is already standing, in 

 which case the opponent's piece has to go back to the starting point. 



The only squares on which two or more pieces are allowed to 

 stand at one and the same time are those marked X. On such 

 squares no penalties are incurred by any piece. 



[Note. — I find that the game is ioo slow, and to brighten things 

 up a bit we use 8 shells, score as above, with the addition of 

 8 shells opening upwards . . =50* 

 8 „ „ downwards = 40 ]. 



Jour. Straits Branch R. A. Soc, No. 80, 1919. U 



