Two games played on the Mancala board
Mancala (Commercial game rules)
Stealing: If your opponent (in this case B) has seeds in a cup with an empty cup to their left, and player A (in this case) has a single seed to the left of an empty cup opposite to player B’s full one, they can move the seed into the empty cup and take all player B’s seeds. Look at the diagram. Player A must be careful that they don’t open a similar opportunity for player B and sometimes it’s wise not to steal if the opponent has a potentially bigger steal.
- Set up: Put four seeds in each cup
- Object: To capture 25 or more seeds
Stealing: If your opponent (in this case B) has seeds in a cup with an empty cup to their left, and player A (in this case) has a single seed to the left of an empty cup opposite to player B’s full one, they can move the seed into the empty cup and take all player B’s seeds. Look at the diagram. Player A must be careful that they don’t open a similar opportunity for player B and sometimes it’s wise not to steal if the opponent has a potentially bigger steal.
Tactics: Try to create a steal by careful moving of your own pieces. Try to create a small steal for your opponent that could result in a bigger steal for yourself. And hope they don’t notice.
Winning: Keep playing until one player has no seeds on their side, however, after that side is emptied, their opponent can make one last move, if that move puts seeds into the empty side, the game resumes and carries on until there are no more moves to make.
Or play until one player has 25+ seeds in their big cup. (by mutual agreement).
Oware (Abapa rules) A variant of the Mancala game
There are hundreds of variations of Mancala using the same board and 48 seeds. These are the Oware official rules as used in tournaments.
Setup: Put four seeds in each cup
Object: To capture 25 or more seeds
Game play: Scoop the seeds from one of your cups and place one in each cup after it anti-clockwise including into your opponent’s cups. If you have a large number of seeds in your cup and you come back to your side, do not put one in the cup you’ve just emptied, skip that one and put it in the next.
The large cup is used to store captured seeds.
How to capture seeds: When the last seed from your hand lands in a cup with only 1 or 2 in it (on your opponent’s side) they are all captured and put into your large cup. If, while doing that, you had put a seed into the cup previous to it, and that cup now has two or three seeds in it, you can capture those too and any others immediately preceding it.
Winning: Keep playing until one player has no seeds on their side, however, after that side is emptied, the opponent can make one last move, if that move puts seeds into the empty side, the game resumes and carries on until there are no more moves to make.
Or you can terminate the game (by mutual agreement) when one player has 25+ captured seeds in their big cup as it’s impossible for the opponent to beat that.
Make your own board
Print both halves of the board and stick them together. The board will be about 45cm wide. Or use an egg carton. My first board was made from jar lids. Use buttons, counters or dried peas as seeds.
Download these rules and a printable board here or download the image below
Have fun and let me know what you think using the form here.
Winning: Keep playing until one player has no seeds on their side, however, after that side is emptied, their opponent can make one last move, if that move puts seeds into the empty side, the game resumes and carries on until there are no more moves to make.
Or play until one player has 25+ seeds in their big cup. (by mutual agreement).
Oware (Abapa rules) A variant of the Mancala game
There are hundreds of variations of Mancala using the same board and 48 seeds. These are the Oware official rules as used in tournaments.
Setup: Put four seeds in each cup
Object: To capture 25 or more seeds
Game play: Scoop the seeds from one of your cups and place one in each cup after it anti-clockwise including into your opponent’s cups. If you have a large number of seeds in your cup and you come back to your side, do not put one in the cup you’ve just emptied, skip that one and put it in the next.
The large cup is used to store captured seeds.
How to capture seeds: When the last seed from your hand lands in a cup with only 1 or 2 in it (on your opponent’s side) they are all captured and put into your large cup. If, while doing that, you had put a seed into the cup previous to it, and that cup now has two or three seeds in it, you can capture those too and any others immediately preceding it.
Winning: Keep playing until one player has no seeds on their side, however, after that side is emptied, the opponent can make one last move, if that move puts seeds into the empty side, the game resumes and carries on until there are no more moves to make.
Or you can terminate the game (by mutual agreement) when one player has 25+ captured seeds in their big cup as it’s impossible for the opponent to beat that.
Make your own board
Print both halves of the board and stick them together. The board will be about 45cm wide. Or use an egg carton. My first board was made from jar lids. Use buttons, counters or dried peas as seeds.
Download these rules and a printable board here or download the image below
Have fun and let me know what you think using the form here.
