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The sowing family

Two rows, a handful of seeds, and a very old idea

Mancala is not one game. It is a family of games built on the same simple act: lift the seeds from a pit and drop them one by one around the board. Start with Kalah, then meet Oware.

Play KalahPlay OwareHow it works
A carved hardwood sowing board photographed at an angle, its two rows of round pits empty and waiting for the first seeds.

Games on this site

Kalah and Oware play in full today. The rest of the family is on its way.

How it works

  1. 1

    Pick up a pit

    Choose any pit on your own side that still has seeds in it.

  2. 2

    Sow one at a time

    Drop one seed into each pit as you go round the board, always in the same direction.

  3. 3

    Where the last seed lands

    That single seed decides everything: another turn, a capture, or the end of your move.

  4. 4

    Count the seeds

    Whoever has gathered more than half of the seeds when the board empties has won.

One mechanic, many games

Sowing games are played from Ghana to Kyrgyzstan to the Philippines. They are not one game that travelled — they are many games that found the same good idea. The family page traces how they relate.

Read the family history

What you get

  • No account needed

    Local and computer games run entirely in your browser. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.

  • Real variants

    Each game ships the rule sets people actually play, with the differences spelled out rather than hidden in a menu.

  • Taught, not just listed

    Rules pages explain why a rule exists. Tutorials walk one idea at a time with a diagram.

  • Explain any move

    Replay the sowing path of any move to see exactly where each seed went.