Al-Howeila Game

Al-Howeila Game is one of the traditional folk games that relies on intelligence and memory. Winning this game requires the player to be sharp and quick-witted. It is a game played by both young people and adults in Taif City in Makkah al-Mukarramah Province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Al-Howeila Game is played by two players and involves about twenty-eight small stones. The players draw a square on a sandy ground with two straight lines intersecting at the center, dividing the square into four equal-sized squares. The center point is at the intersection of the lines. Three slots are formed on each of the intersecting lines, creating a total of thirteen slots.

The stones are distributed among the slots. The first slot contains four small stones, the next slots in all directions contain three stones each, the following slots in all directions contain two stones each, and the last slots in all directions contain one stone each.

The game begins with the second player turning their body so their back is facing the first player. The first player then places their hand on the middle slot and asks the second player: "What is here?" The second player responds, "There are four, take one." The first player moves to the next slot and repeats the question: "What is here?" The second player replies, "There are three, take one." The first player moves to the next slot and asks: "What is here?" The second player responds, "There are two, take one. Finally, reaching the last square, the first player asks: "What's here?" The second player replies, "There is one, take it." The first player takes it and then moves back to the middle slot, asking again, "What is here?" The second player replies, "There are three, take one." The game continues this way through all the slots. The game is won when the first player successfully removes all the stones from the slots without the second player making a mistake. If the first player makes a mistake, they lose the game, and the opposing player takes their turn.