Seeds travel anticlockwise. Land your last seed in an enemy pit holding 1 or 2 and you take it, plus any pit of 2 or 3 running back from there. First to 25 seeds wins.
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About Oware
Free online Oware, the Akan mancala from Ghana. Sow seeds anticlockwise, capture pits left on two or three, and race to 25 of the 48 seeds. Play a friend on one device or a searching AI.
Oware is the best known member of the mancala family, played across Ghana under that name and around the world as awale, awari and warri. It looks like a counting game and plays like a knife fight: because seeds keep travelling around the board, a pit you fill today can feed your opponent's capture tomorrow. This version follows the Abapa rules used in tournament play, including the two that casual apps usually skip - you must feed a starving opponent if any move can, and a move that would strip their whole side bare is legal but captures nothing. Two players can share one device, or you can take on an AI that searches several moves ahead.
Frequently asked questions
How do I actually capture seeds?๏ผ
Only with your final seed, and only on your opponent's side. If that last seed leaves the pit holding exactly two or three seeds, you take them, then keep working backwards taking any pit that also holds two or three while you are still on their side.
Why did my move skip a pit?๏ผ
When you lift twelve or more seeds, the lap goes all the way round the board. The pit you started from is skipped so it stays empty rather than getting one of its own seeds back.
Why can't I play that pit?๏ผ
If your opponent has no seeds left, you are only allowed to play a move that feeds them. When none of your moves can, the game ends and the seeds still on the board are swept up.
What is the grand slam rule?๏ผ
A move that would capture every last seed on your opponent's side is still legal, but you take nothing from it. Without that rule a player could end the game outright and leave their opponent unable to reply.
How many seeds do I need to win?๏ผ
There are 48 seeds, so 25 is an outright win. If both players finish on 24 the game is drawn.
Is Oware the same as mancala?๏ผ
Mancala is the whole family of sowing games, of which Oware is one. Others in the family, like Kalah or Bao, use different board sizes and capture rules.
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