Ordo (literally "Khan's camp") is a two-sided team national game that exists only in Kyrgyzstan. Two teams play, each consisting of men aged 18 and older, with a team size ranging from 5 to 10 players.
On a flat area, a circle with a diameter of 14 meters is drawn and marked with a chalk line no wider than 5 mm. Another circle is drawn one meter outside the first circle. In the center of the first circle, a long pit is dug, 1 cm deep and no more than 2 cm wide. A "khana" is placed in it; this is a round horn plate with a diameter of 6 mm and a thickness of 2 mm. The "khana" is protected by "voevodas." These are "alchiks," which are piled on top of the "khana." In the game of ordo, sheep or goat alchiks (grandmothers) can be used as voevodas. The number of "voevodas" depends on the number of players, with each player allocated 5 "khans" — horn or bone plates with a diameter of 6 mm and a thickness of 2 mm. The game consists of each team trying to break the khan's "ordo" in the center of the circle (a circle with a diameter of 16 m) using an abalak (bat) and knocking the voevodas and the khana out of the circle using four permitted types of strikes, depending on the player's position from the center of the circle and towards the voevodas.
Alchiks and the khana are knocked out using a special bat — abalak. The abalak is a rectangular plate made from the horn of a markhor (length 8 cm, width 6 cm, thickness 2.5 cm).
One of the participants from the team that wins the coin toss starts the game. By throwing the abalak, they must break the khan's horde. After a successful hit — if an alchik is knocked out of the circle — the player gains the right to an additional hit. There is no limit to the number of additional hits. If after the hit an alchik is not knocked out of the circle, the player gives way to another member of their team.
At the beginning of the game, each participant has the right to three hits. Depending on the game situation, one of six types of strikes is used (long-range strike — "ura atmay"; diagonal strike — "kynkay at-may"; close-range strike — "kadoo"; rear strike — "too-ruu"; side strike — "chachmay"; and flick strike — "cher-tuu").
A very important tactic for victory is the method by which a player enters the circle. A player can only enter the circle if an alchik is knocked out during the strike and the abalak remains lying from any nearby alchik within the circle or from the center at a distance of no more than 40 cm or 20 cm from the "khana" (if it has flown out from the center but not beyond the circle).
Inside the circle, a player knocks out alchiks and the khana only with the "cher-tuu" strike, i.e., a flick, and while kneeling. Moreover, after one alchik is knocked out, the abalak must be at least 40 cm away from the nearest alchik inside the circle.
The game continues until one of the teams has less than one alchik for each team member (according to ancient rules, when there are 7 alchiks and the khan, if 10 or more people are playing, or 2 alchiks and the khan, if less than 10 people are playing).
Then the players start knocking out the "khana." The only permitted method of striking is "cher-tuu." The khana is knocked out alternately by one player from each team.
If the khana is knocked out by a member of the team that has knocked out all the alchiks, the victory is awarded to that team. If the khana is knocked out by a team that has no alchiks or has the minimum number of them, the game continues. The players of that team have the right to start the game, but each member will only have one strike. The team that lost the khana but has the maximum number of alchiks places 5 alchiks for each team member in the center, in addition to 7 alchiks and the khan, and enters the game after the first team has used all its strikes.
When one of the teams, having started the game, knocks out all the alchiks and the khana at once, the ordo is rebuilt for the second team, and they start the game first. If they also succeed, the turn to start the game goes back to the first team, and so on.
The team that, having used all its strikes, fails to knock all the alchiks out of the circle is considered the loser.
According to modern rules, the game lasts no more than 2 hours. If during this time neither team has succeeded, victory is determined by the number of knocked out alchiks. It sometimes happens that the allotted time has expired, and the teams have just begun knocking out the khana. In this case, the game continues until one of the teams knocks the khana out of the circle. The khana can be knocked out during the game when a player has entered the circle and received the right to strike "cher-tuu." However, the rules stipulate that the khana can only be knocked out after the participant has entered the circle and knocked out 3 alchiks or has struck at the pile before knocking out one alchik.
Participants in the game are subject to very strict requirements and rules. Failure to comply results in the player losing the right to strike.
Thus, it is not allowed for players not making a strike to be in the circle; to lift the abalak off the ground during a "cher-tuu" strike; to reposition the knee before striking the khana from the pile in the center using "cher-tuu"; to exit the circle before losing the strike; or to touch the ground with any part of the body (except for the foot and knee) while playing in the circle.
A participant loses the right to strike if: after striking with any method the alchik does not exit the circle; the striking player requests to measure the distance (for entering the circle) and there is a clear discrepancy; after a successful strike, they cannot take the abalak without violating the position of their legs; after a successful strike, they stop, touching an alchik, the khana, the center, etc.
The game always attracts a large number of spectators who, like the participants, closely follow its progress. Ordo originated a long time ago, and in this game, the desire of the people to rid themselves of all "khans" and their "voevodas" was expressed. The game is widely played in northern Kyrgyzstan and less so in southern Kyrgyzstan.
