Kazakh culture

Alchiki - asyky.

Participation in children's national games of Kazakhs.

Together with youth games, children's games have been widely spread as well. The most favorite among them was game called “alchiki” (“asyky”). These are painted sheep's and hoofed bones.
The antiquity of this game is confirmed by archeological data on the whole territory of Kazakhstan. The prize of this game was “alchiki”, money and other. The favorable game among intellectual games was “togyz kumalak”.
This is table game. Quadrangular wooden board with 18 long holes (“otau”) was used for this game. In the interval between rows two round holes are cut (“kazan”). Each player (two persons) has 81 balls, 9 balls are put into the holes.
The moves are made by turns. The winner is a man, who takes away from the holes of the competitor the most quantity of balls. This game was very popular. The players could play even without board.
They dug holes in the ground and played. The game is called “togyz kumalak” (nine), because the basis of 81 (9 x 9) and 162 (2 x 9 x 9) is figure 9, which Turks considered as a holy figure. Alchiki - asyky kazakh of national game. Monuments for asyks in Astana. Astragal-asyks. VI - VIII c.c. Burial mounds Borizhara.