Someone on Reddit built an Arduino-powered Togyzkumalak board. Here is why that matters.
This intersection of traditional board gaming and DIY electronics is not new — chess has DGT boards, Scrabble has electronic scorers — but Togyzkumalak has never had one. For a game with 162 stones, 18 pits, and the irreversible complexity of tuzdyks, an electronic board solves a real problem: trust. In tournament play, disputes over board state can delay matches. In training, replaying positions requires manual reconstruction. An electronic board records every move, validates tuzdyk creation against the rules, and exports game logs for later analysis.
How an electronic mancala board would work
The Reddit prototype used an Arduino Mega with 18 infrared sensors (one per pit) to detect stone presence by measuring the change in reflected light as stones are added or removed. The board surface was laser-cut acrylic with embedded LEDs under each pit to indicate legal moves. An LCD shield displayed the current score for both kazan (stores). Total cost: approximately $60 in components, plus a weekend of soldering.
The technical challenges are real. Togyz Kumalak stones are small (8-10mm glass beads), and detecting individual stones in a pit that may contain 1-15 of them requires calibration. Infrared sensors work but are sensitive to ambient light. Capacitive sensing (detecting the mass of stones via change in capacitance) is more reliable but requires custom PCB design. The Reddit prototype solved this by using weight sensors under each pit — crude but effective.
The software side is where Toguz Arena could contribute. Our game engine already tracks board state, validates moves, and scores games. An open API that accepts pit-state updates from an Arduino would allow makers to build their own boards and connect them to the platform for online play, AI analysis, and game recording. This is the phygital vision: physical boards that talk to digital platforms.
What this means for Togyzkumalak's future
Electronic boards are infrastructure. When DGT boards became standard in chess tournaments, they enabled live broadcasting of every move, AI commentary in real-time, and instant game archives. Togyzkumalak tournaments are still recorded by hand — a scorer watches the board and writes down moves. An electronic board would bring the game into the same broadcast era as chess and Go.
The community is small but growing. The Reddit thread attracted comments from an embedded systems engineer, a Kazakh student who offered to translate documentation, and a teacher who wanted to build a classroom set. This is how movements start: one person builds a prototype, posts it online, and others iterate. The first DGT chess board was a hobby project too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build my own electronic Togyzkumalak board?
Yes. The Reddit prototype used an Arduino Mega with infrared sensors and cost approximately $60 in components. You need basic soldering skills and familiarity with Arduino programming. The most challenging part is calibrating sensors to reliably detect stone placement in each pit.
Does Toguz Arena support electronic boards?
Not yet, but the game engine API tracks board state and validates moves. An open API for Arduino-based boards is a natural next step. Until then, you can play Togyzkumalak for free on Toguz Arena in your browser — no hardware needed.
