Mikado ("high gate") is a board game of Japanese origin on the development of fine motor skills, an analogue of East Slavic tricks . Consists of a set of bamboo sticks (classic version) or wires, painted in a special way. Each stick has its own value (the two most expensive ones are Mandarin and Mikado).
Wire version of the game was popular among students of the USSR . In the absence of playing at the stores, schoolchildren themselves made sets of wires from pieces of aluminum wire, the ends of which were bent in various ways, which added complexity to the game (corners, rings, loops; in one plane or in different; from one end or from both). The goal of the “procrastination” game is to disassemble the entire pile, counting the total points of each participant. Several people could participate. Elements removed from the heap could be used as a tool for pulling.
Content
Varieties of the game.
There are various game options. All of them differ only in the system of scoring and coloring sticks. Here are some options for the game.
Option 1.
Play 2-8 people.
The game uses 41 sticks with rings of different colors (depending on the value of the sticks). Below is a table with the number, type and value of different types of sticks in the game:
| Name of the type of sticks | Kind of sticks | Points for 1 species | Amount of chopsticks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikado (emperor) | spiral (usually blue) | 20 points | 1 stick |
| Mandarin (official) | 2 blue and 1 red ring | 10 points | 5 sticks |
| Bon-pricing (priest) | 2 blue and 3 red rings | 5 points | 5 sticks |
| Samurai (warrior) | 1 blue, 1 yellow and 1 red ring | 3 points | 15 sticks |
| Cooley (worker) | 1 blue and 1 red ring. | 2 points | 15 sticks |
Before the game, one of the players (he is determined by drawing lots or with the help of dice) takes the sticks into his hand and puts them on the table (it is better to have it with a slippery surface), holding the sticks in his fist, then he sharply opens his fist and pulls back his hand then the sticks chaotically crumble.
The first player who takes is determined by drawing lots, or the first one scatters at the beginning of the game. At each turn, the player tries to pull a wand out of the pile, without hitting and disturbing the others. If the player was able to do this, then he can pull out the next wand. If the player touched and moved the wand, which pulls at least one extra wand, the move goes to the next player. If a player takes a wand, and is already going to pull it out, then he cannot change his choice and draw another. If a player pulled out a mikado wand, he can use it as a lever or auxiliary tool when pulling out other sticks.
As soon as all the sticks are taken out, and there are no sticks left on the table (except the sticks on the players' hands), the scoring begins. The player with the most points wins.
After that, the next round begins, and the results of this game are recorded.
Option 2.
For this variety, mikado sticks are sometimes made from different wood species, so an additional column is given in the table.
| Name of the type of sticks | Tree view | Kind of sticks | Points for 1 species | Number of sticks of the species. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikado (emperor) | Walnut | the wand is completely blue | 20 points | 1 stick |
| Mandarin (official) | cherry | 4 yellow / black rings (wide in the middle, narrow at the ends) | 10 points | 5 sticks |
| Bon-pricing (priest) | oak | 5 orange rings | 5 points | 5 sticks |
| Samurai (warrior) | beech | 3 green rings | 3 points | 15 sticks |
| Cooley (worker) | ash | 2 red rings | 2 points | 15 sticks |
This variant differs from the previous color of the chopsticks, with different wood species for different kinds of chopsticks and in that it can be used as a lever, besides the Mikado sticks, also a mandarin stick. The rules remain the same.
Option 3.
Unlike other types of mikado, the sticks in this version are painted entirely and have a different meaning with glasses.
| Name of the type of sticks | Kind of sticks | Points for 1 species | Amount of chopsticks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikado (emperor) | 1 half is blue, the other is red | 30 points | 1 stick |
| Mandarin (official) | red stick | 20 points | 3 sticks |
| Bon-pricing (priest) | blue stick | 10 points | 5 sticks |
| Samurai (warrior) | green stick | 5 points | 12 sticks |
| Cooley (worker) | yellow / orange stick | 3 points | 20 sticks |
The rules of the game remain the same, except for a few moments: you can only use a mandarin stick as a tool for taking out the sticks; The game ends when one of the players takes out the Mikado wand, while the sticks that are not taken remain on the table.
Option 4.
For this version of the game also uses 31 sticks.
| Name of the type of sticks | Kind of sticks | Points for 1 species | Amount of chopsticks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikado (emperor) | 1 blue ring | 20 points | 1 stick |
| Mandarin (official) | 3 yellow rings | 10 points | 5 sticks |
| Bon-pricing (priest) | 2 orange rings | 5 points | 5 sticks |
| Samurai (warrior) | 3 green rings | 3 points | 10 sticks |
| Cooley (worker) | 2 red rings | 2 points | 10 sticks |
The rules are the same as in option 2.
Option 5.
For this option, unlike all the previous ones, 26 sticks are used, this game is also called “Big Mikado”, since the sticks can reach 93 cm in length.
| Name of the type of sticks | Kind of sticks | Points for 1 species | Amount of chopsticks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikado (emperor) | the wand is completely blue | 50 points | 1 stick |
| Mandarin (official) | 4 yellow / black rings (wide in the middle, narrow at the ends) | 10 points | 5 sticks |
| Samurai (warrior) | 3 green rings | 5 points | 10 sticks |
| Cooley (worker) | 2 red rings | 5 points | 10 sticks. |
The rules are the same as in option 2.