Oware

Oware is played on a board with 2 rows of 6 pits and a score store on each side. Each small pit starts with 4 seeds (48 total). You control the bottom row.

1. Click one of your 6 pits to sow. All seeds are picked up and distributed one per pit, counterclockwise.
2. Lapping rule: if a pit has 12 or more seeds, skip the starting pit on every full revolution.
3. Capture: if the last seed lands in an opponent's pit and brings it to exactly 2 or 3 seeds, capture those seeds into your score. Continue capturing backwards through consecutive opponent pits that also have exactly 2 or 3.
4. Starvation rule: you may not make a move that leaves your opponent with zero seeds — unless it is your only possible move. Valid pits are highlighted.
5. The game ends when one player has captured 25 or more seeds, or fewer than 12 seeds remain on the board. Each player then claims the seeds on their own side.
6. The player with the most captured seeds wins.

Oware is one of the oldest known board games in the world, originating among the Akan people of present-day Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Archaeological evidence suggests mancala-family games have been played in Africa for over 7,000 years, making Oware one of humanity's oldest surviving games.

The game's name comes from the Twi language and is often translated as "he/she marries." It is deeply embedded in Akan culture, played at social gatherings, during festivals, and as a rite of passage for young people. Oware boards — beautifully carved from hardwood, sometimes inlaid with brass or ivory — are cherished family heirlooms passed down through generations.

The starvation rule — the requirement that you must not leave your opponent without seeds unless it is your only move — is a fascinating window into Akan values. It reflects a philosophy that competition should not mean destruction: a game without an opponent is no game at all. Oware spread throughout the African diaspora via the transatlantic slave trade, with variants now found across the Caribbean and South America under names like Wari, Awari, and Ayo.