How to Play Oware
Six houses a side in a loop, four seeds each, South opens. Tap a non-empty house on your row and sow counterclockwise among houses only; after one sow, play passes. Land leaving 2 or 3 on the opponent’s side to capture. Pick an AI level and a seat, then start.
What Oware Is
Oware is a West African sowing game. It belongs to the wider mancala family, but it is not the same game as the Kalah-style boards many people learn first. This site follows Abapa, the version common in Ghana and nearby traditions: twelve houses in a loop, six a side, four seeds in each house at the start, and South to open.
What decides a game is landing count, not an extra turn in a store. Seeds sow counterclockwise among houses only; after one sow, play passes. A last seed that leaves 2 or 3 on the opponent’s side starts a capture. When their row is empty, you may have to feed, and more than 24 in score wins.
It looks like moving beads around a board. In practice it is about tempo: when to chase a 2–3 chain, when to keep seeds back, and when you must send something across. The rules page covers the fine print; if you want the feel of the game, start with the AI board above.
Count the Last Landing First
Do not empty a house just because it looks tidy. First count where the last seed finishes: landing on the opponent’s side as 2 or 3 is often worth more than a quiet reshape, and South can practise that count from move one.
Only 2 or 3 Starts a Capture
Captures happen only on the opponent’s houses. If the last seed leaves 2 or 3, take that house, then continue backward through consecutive 2s and 3s. If the chain would clear every seed they still have on the board, the grand slam is void and you score nothing from it. When their side is empty, remember to feed.
Hints Follow Your AI Level
Choose from multiple AI levels, then play as South to open or North to reply. Hints use the same level, and undo rewinds both your sow and the AI response. After the game, replay the turn when a 2–3 chain appeared or a feed was missed. All AI calculation stays in your browser.
12houses in a loop
4seeds in each house
2–3starts a capture
>24in score wins
