Oware

How to play Oware

You control the lower six pits; the computer controls the upper six. Start with four seeds in each pit. Select a nonempty pit on your side. Its seeds travel counterclockwise, one per pit, skipping the starting pit on every lap.

If the last seed lands in an opponent’s pit containing exactly two or three seeds, capture them. Continue backwards through adjacent opponent pits containing two or three. If this would remove every seed on the opponent’s side, the move is allowed but none are captured: this is the no-capture grand-slam rule.

When your opponent’s side is empty, you must choose a move that feeds it. If none exists, the game ends and each player collects the seeds remaining on their own side. Capture 25 to win; 24 each is a draw. This table treats a third identical position as agreement that play is cycling, then awards each side its remaining seeds. This automatic cycle settlement is a disclosed house convention.

Why did my capture disappear?

Capturing every seed on the opponent’s side is a grand slam. Under this Abapa rule the sowing stands, but no seeds are captured.

Tap a gold-bordered pit to sow. Keyboard players can use Tab then Enter or Space. Undo reverses your last turn and the computer reply. Hint highlights a legal suggestion, not a guaranteed win. Rules reference. Original implementation and board art.