Oware is a two-player mancala game played on two rows of six pits with 48 seeds — four in each pit at the start. Each player owns the six pits on their side plus a scoring store. On your turn you empty one of your non-empty pits and sow its seeds counter-clockwise, one per pit, never into a store. Captures come only from your last sown seed landing in an opponent pit and making it exactly 2 or 3 seeds, and any consecutive opponent pits holding 2 or 3 are taken backwards along the row. First to capture 25 or more seeds wins the game.
Play now — it's freeThe board has two straight rows of six pits each. Each player owns the row nearest to them and one large store at their end. The game starts with exactly four seeds in each of the twelve pits — 48 in total.
Pits are counted counter-clockwise. Your row runs from your left to your right; the opponent's row continues in the same circular direction.
Pick any of your pits holding at least one seed, lift all of its seeds, and drop them one by one counter-clockwise into consecutive pits — including your opponent's pits.
Seeds are never sown into either store, and the pit you sowed from is skipped: if a move holds 12 or more seeds, the lap passes over the starting pit and keeps going.
Only the pit that receives your LAST seed can trigger a capture — and only if it is an opponent pit left holding exactly two or three seeds.
Then look backwards along the sowing path: every consecutive opponent pit that also holds two or three seeds is captured too. The chain stops at your own pits or at any pit holding 1 or 4+ seeds. Making a 2 or 3 with a seed that is not your last wins nothing.
Captured seeds go to your store.
A grand slam is a move that would capture every seed the opponent has on the board. Handling varies by tradition; this site uses the tournament standard of the World Oware Federation: the move is legal, but the capture simply does not happen — all seeds stay exactly as they were sown.
This matches the ABAPA tournament reading that no more than five houses can be taken in a multiple capture: a sixth would strip the opponent of every seed, so nothing is taken at all.
If your opponent's pits are all empty when it is your turn, you must play a move that leaves them at least one seed — moves that starve them are not allowed while a feeding move exists.
If no move of yours can feed the opponent, the game ends immediately: you collect the seeds remaining on your own side, they keep theirs, and the higher total wins.
Win immediately by holding 25 or more captured seeds (a majority of the 48).
A player with no legal move ends the game: each side keeps the seeds left on its own side and the totals are compared. Because the 48 seeds are always conserved, the result is either a 25+ win or a 24–24 draw.
On this site, games that pass 240 total moves are scored the same way (stores plus remaining seeds) to prevent endless cycles.
Count to 2 and 3. Before sowing, know where your last seed will land — that is the only pit that can capture.
Seeds traveling in pairs are dangerous: an opponent pit holding 2 or 3 of your seeds is a gift you cannot take back.
Keep your own pits out of the 2–3 range on your side, or make sure the last seed never lands there.
Endgame feeding is a skill: when the opponent is nearly empty, look for a sowing that drops exactly one seed on their side.
Oware is the classic West African mancala (count-and-capture) board game: two players, twelve pits, 48 seeds. You sow seeds counter-clockwise and capture when your last seed makes opponent pits hold exactly 2 or 3 seeds. First to capture 25 seeds wins.
Four seeds in each of the twelve pits — 48 in total. Each player also has a store, and captured seeds are kept there.
No. Unlike Kalah, stores sit outside the sowing loop in Oware: seeds are only ever dropped into the twelve pits, never into a store.
On this site the grand slam capture is cancelled and nothing is taken — the seeds stay as sown. This is the World Oware Federation tournament rule and the most common online ruling.
You must feed them: any move that leaves the opponent at least one seed is mandatory while one exists. If no move can feed them, the game ends and each side keeps the seeds on its own side.
Capture 25 or more of the 48 seeds. If the game ends by starvation or the move limit, each side adds its remaining seeds to its store; more than 24 wins, 24–24 is a draw.
Yes — play Oware online free at mancala.yeeqia.com, straight in your browser with no download or sign-up required.
Yes, the site is mobile-first and runs in any modern browser on Android or iPhone, with English and French support.