25-Point Variant of Morabaraba
Koti
The 25-point board, with a live centre point and its own set of capture rules.
Koti is a distinct variant of Morabaraba, sharing its core idea with every Morabaraba variant: place your 12 cows, then move them along the lines, forming mills to shoot your opponent's cattle.
Where it differs is the board and the rules that follow from it. Koti's board has 25 points, including a live centre point (D4) that Traditional doesn't use. It is the restrictive game: you must form a mill when you can, you must block your opponent's mill when you can, a blocked player passes instead of losing, and no cow is safe inside a mill — any cow on the board can be shot.
On this site and in the app, Koti shares these rules with Traditional: mills form along any line, diagonals included; one move that closes two mills earns two shots; a player down to three cows may fly; and a game is drawn when a position comes up a third time, or after fifty moves in a row with no cow shot.
Common Questions
What is Koti?
Koti is a variant of Morabaraba played on a 25-point board with an active centre point and its own capture rules.
Is Koti the same game as Morabaraba?
Yes — Koti is a regional variant of Morabaraba, the same way Traditional is. They share the same core idea but differ in board size and specific rules.
What makes Koti different from Traditional Morabaraba?
Koti uses 25 points with a live centre, makes forming and blocking mills mandatory, lets a blocked player pass instead of losing, and allows any cow to be shot. Traditional uses 24 points with no centre, protects cows inside a mill, and a blocked player loses.
Can I play Koti online for free?
Yes — play free against the computer or challenge other players online, no sign-up required to start.
Looking for the other regional variant?
Read about Traditional (the 24-point variant)