Play Oware Online
Play Oware free in your browser, against the computer or a friend. Oware is the classic West African count-and-capture board game from the mancala family: sow seeds around the board, count ahead, and capture more than half of the 48 seeds to win. No download and no sign-up.
Ad Place Holder
How to Play Oware
Oware is played on a board with two rows of six pits, called houses. Each player owns the row of six houses nearest to them. The game starts with four seeds in every house, 48 seeds in all. On your turn you pick up all the seeds from one of your houses and sow them, one at a time, into the following houses. Capture seeds from your opponent’s side, and the first player to collect 25 seeds wins.
- Tap one of your houses to pick up its seeds and sow them.
- Seeds travel counter-clockwise, one into each house in turn.
- If your last seed lands in an opponent’s house and makes 2 or 3 seeds there, you capture them.
- Capture 25 seeds, more than half the board, to win.
Play on your Phone
Play against the computer or a friend
Play the computer to learn how sowing and capturing work and to practise counting moves ahead. When you are ready, challenge a friend and take turns. Oware rewards careful counting, so every game you play makes it easier to see a capture coming.
Oware rules explained
These are the common Abapa rules, the version most often played today:
- Sowing. Pick up every seed in one of your houses and drop them one by one, counter-clockwise, into the houses that follow, including your opponent’s.
- Big houses. If a house holds 12 or more seeds, the sowing goes all the way round the board. The house you started from is skipped, so it stays empty.
- Capturing. If your last seed lands in one of your opponent’s houses and brings it to exactly 2 or 3 seeds, you capture those seeds.
- Chain captures. If the house just before it, also on your opponent’s side, now holds 2 or 3 seeds, you capture those too, and so on back along the row until you reach a house that does not hold 2 or 3.
- Feed your opponent. You may not leave your opponent with no seeds if you can avoid it. If their row is empty, you must make a move that gives them seeds.
- Grand slam. A move that would capture every seed on your opponent’s side is usually allowed, but captures nothing, so your opponent is not left empty.
- Winning. The first player to capture 25 seeds wins. If both players capture 24, the game is a draw.
- Ending early. If no one can feed the other, or the same moves repeat forever, the game ends and each player keeps the seeds on their own side.
Oware strategy tips
- Count before you sow. Before every move, count where your last seed will land and what it will do there. Most Oware skill is careful counting.
- Watch your 1s and 2s. Houses on your side with one or two seeds are targets. If your opponent can drop a last seed there, they capture it.
- Build a big house. A house that collects 12 or more seeds can sow all the way round the board and land a capture deep in your opponent’s row. Strong players save one up.
- Keep moves in reserve. Try not to empty your row too quickly. If you run short of seeds, your opponent controls the game.
- Set up chain captures. Leave your opponent’s houses at 1 or 2 seeds in a row, then finish a sowing on the last one to capture several houses at once.
- Use the feeding rule. When your opponent is low on seeds, they may be forced to sow in a way that opens their row to you.
- Count the score. Once a player reaches 25 the game is over. Near the end, a safe move that holds your lead can be better than a risky capture.
History of Oware
Oware belongs to the mancala family, one of the oldest groups of board games in the world. It is most closely linked with the Akan people of Ghana and is played across West Africa and the Caribbean, where it is known by names such as awale, awari, ayo and warri. Boards range from simple hollows scooped in the ground to carved wooden boards passed down in families. In 2002 computer scientists solved the game and showed that perfect play by both sides ends in a draw. You can read more on Wikipedia’s Oware page.
Oware or mancala?
Mancala is the name of the whole family of sowing games, and Oware is its best-known member. Other mancala games are played across Africa and beyond, with different boards and rules. Some use four rows of holes instead of two, and some let you capture in different ways. Oware’s two-row board and simple capture rule make it the best place to start.
More board games to try
If you enjoy Oware, try Morabaraba, the Southern African strategy classic, or Tsoro, a quick three-in-a-row game from Zimbabwe. For a capture game from Madagascar, try Fanorona.
Oware FAQ
Is this Oware game free? Yes. It is free to play in your browser, with no download or sign-up.
Can I play with a friend? Yes. Play against the computer, or challenge a friend.
How many seeds do I need to win? Twenty-five, which is more than half of the 48 seeds.
Which way do the seeds go? Counter-clockwise, one seed into each house in turn.
Is Oware the same as mancala? Oware is one mancala game. Mancala is the name for the whole family of sowing games.
Can I play Oware on my phone? Yes. The game runs in your phone’s browser.