“Mikado” is a game where you have to remove toothpicks from a pile without moving the others. It looks like a game of skill and steady hands, but it turns out that each toothpick has a different score! so it’s really a game of skill and strategy.
Mikado is played with 41 sticks. Each stick has a pattern of colors and each pattern has a number of points associated with it:
15 Sticks KULI
2 points
15 Sticks BONZEN
3 points
5 Sticks MANDARÍN
5 points
5 Sticks SAMURAI
10 points
1 Stick MIKADO
20 points
It’s important to know how many points each stick is worth!
If you have purchased a commercial game, it may be that the color patterns are different and with different scores. En ese caso sigue las instrucciones del juego.
Who’s first?
The youngest player starts and the turn is passed to the player on his right.
Goal of the game
How to win a game of MIKADO?
The player who scores the most points from the sticks removed wins.
Mikado rules: playing a game
Tossing the sticks
One player takes all the Mikado sticks in one hand, places them vertically on the table and drops them, as in the following video.
This is how a shift is played
Players take turns trying to pick up one stick at a time without moving any others.
If successful, they keep it and can try with another.
The player’s turn ends when he touches or moves a different stick than the one he was trying to pick up. If that happens, you have to return the stick to the pile and it will then be the turn of the next player, the one to your left.
Tip
The classic Mikado rules allow using some of the extracted sticks as an aid to extract others.
Game over – And the winner is…
End of game
The game ends when there are no more toothpicks left in the stack.
And the winner is…
The player with the most points from the number of sticks drawn wins.
How to create a homemade version of Mikado
You can easily create a homemade version of Mikado using skewer sticks or thin wooden sticks. Just paint the scoring patterns with colored markers. Use chopsticks that are not too thin, otherwise the playing experience will not be the same.
If you do not have skewer sticks, you can improvise a variation using small thin objects you have at home: crayons, spoons, rulers…. Use colored stickers or colored tape to mark dots on the objects. Each object can have a different value. Let your imagination run wild!
Buying guide and tips
If you’re not in the mood for DIY, you can buy a quality Mikado on Amazon at an unbeatable price:
There are games with mechanics very similar to Mikado, such as Jenga and the amazing Rock me Archimedes.
Origin of the game Mikado
Did you know that the Mikado was not always so called? This game of wooden sticks, which today can be found in almost any game store, has its roots in ancient oriental traditions. Its origin goes back to China, where similar games with sticks were played centuries ago as a pastime for the nobility or even as a form of divination. Later, the game traveled to Europe, where it began to be known under different names and became popular as family entertainment.
The name “Mikado” comes from the title given to the emperor of Japan. In fact, in the most classic version of the game, the most valuable chopstick bears precisely that name: Mikado. Although the game was not born in Japan, the exoticism that evoked the oriental in 20th century Europe made this name to be commercially imposed. And so, a game of Chinese origin was baptized with a Japanese term. Just clever marketing!
LOODENS rating
This is one of those classic games that everyone should have at home. A must-have for family game night…
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