Yoté

Yote (Yoté) is a traditional strategy game from West Africa, particularly popular in Senegal and Gambia. It combines simple rules with intense tactical depth. The unique capture bonus - removing a second enemy piece after each capture - creates dramatic swings.

Capture all of your opponent's pieces using direct jumps and bonus removals.

The game is played on a 5x6 grid (30 intersections). Each player has 12 pieces that start off the board. Players take turns placing or moving one piece.

1. On your turn, either place a new piece on any empty point OR move an existing piece.
2. Pieces move orthogonally (horizontally or vertically) to an adjacent empty point.
3. Capture by jumping orthogonally over an adjacent enemy piece to the empty point beyond.
4. After capturing, you MUST remove one additional enemy piece of your choice from anywhere on the board.
5. Multiple jumps in one turn are not allowed - each capture ends your turn (but you still get the bonus removal).
6. You are not required to capture if one is available (unlike checkers).
7. Continue until one player has no pieces left or cannot move.

Win by capturing all of your opponent's pieces. Each capture removes two pieces total (the jumped piece plus one bonus removal), making the game highly volatile.

• *The bonus removal is incredibly powerful - choose which piece to remove wisely.
• *Avoid creating situations where your opponent can make multiple captures.
• *Keep your pieces protected and avoid isolated positions.
• *Control the center of the board for better mobility.
• *Sometimes it's better to place a new piece than move an existing one into danger.
• *Don't rush to place all your pieces - keep reserves for flexible positioning.
• *The endgame can swing dramatically - stay alert even when ahead.

Yote is a traditional game of the Wolof and other peoples of Senegal and surrounding regions. It has been played for centuries and remains popular throughout West Africa today.