Jonchets

Jonchets or onchets is a pick-up sticks game from France played with carved sticks. References to the game date back as far as the 17th century, and it was quite popular at the start of the 20th century. The sticks were originally made of rush, but later also from wood, bone or ivory.


Jonchets sticks
"Boy playing onchets" by Julien-Charles Dubois (1842), Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes

Jonchets can be played by 2 to 4 players, with 30 to 40 sticks at a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in). The sticks are thrown on a table, and the rules of play are likely similar to pick-up sticks. In jonchets, some sticks may have carved heads that denote different point values.

NameValueNumber of the sticks
King50 points1 stick
Queen40 points1 stick
Flag30 points1 stick
Servant20 points4 sticks
Rider10 points8 sticks
Soldier5 points15–25 sticks

Mikado is a simplified variation that may have been directly inspired by jonchets.

"Jonchets" were the name of a stick abacus calcus form in France with Asian background.[1][2]

References

  1. "Abaque - calcul - douzième partie - Chine - premiers abaques à calcul ou à jonchets". www.encyclopedie-universelle.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  2. "Défi mathématique - Mathadore".
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