How To Win Game Pigeon Mancala

• How To Win In Mancala
• How To Win Game Pigeon Mancala Play
• How To Win Game Pigeon Mancala To Play
• How To Win Game Pigeon Mancala Game

Learn the rules and get helpful tips for playing the most popular board games, including Monopoly, Scrabble and Clue. MANCALA!!!: The first in a series of Instructables (well, I might not make the others. I'll try to remember) known as 'How to play.' In this series, I will teach you how to play.

Oware is an abstract strategy game among the Mancala family of board games (pit and pebble games) played worldwide with slight variations as to the layout of the game, number of players and strategy of play.^[1] Its origin is uncertain^[2] but it is widely believed to be of Ashanti origin.^[3]

Played in the Bono Region, Bono East Region, Ahafo Region, Central Region, Western Region, Eastern Region, Ashanti Region of Ghana^[4] and throughout the Caribbean, Oware and its variants have many names - Ayò, Ayoayo (Yoruba), Awalé (Ivory Coast, Benin), Wari (Mali), Ouri, Ouril or Uril (Cape Verde), Warri (Caribbean) Pallanguzhi (India) Wali (Dagbani), Adji (Ewe), Nchọ/Ókwè (Igbo), ise (Edo), Awale in (Ga) meaning Spoons in English according to the Ga name for the game. A common name in English is Awari but one of the earliest Western scholars to study the game, Robert Sutherland Rattray, used the name Wari.

Rules[edit]

Following are the rules for the abapa variation, considered to be the most appropriate for serious, adult play.

Equipment[edit]

The game requires an oware board and 48 seeds. A typical oware board has two straight rows of six pits, called 'houses', and optionally one large 'score' house at either end. Each player controls the six houses on their side of the board, and the score house on their end. The game begins with four seeds in each of the twelve smaller houses.

Boards may be elaborately carved or simple and functional; they may include a pedestal, or be hinged to fold lengthwise or crosswise and latch for portability and storage with the seeds inside. While most commonly located at either end, scoring houses may be placed elsewhere, and the rows need not be straight. When a board has a hinged cover like a diptych, the scoring houses may be carved into the two halves of the cover, and so be in front of the players during play. The ground may also be used as a board; players simply scoop two rows of pits out of the earth.

In the Caribbean, the seeds are typically nickernuts, which are smooth and shiny. Beads and pebbles are also sometimes used. In the West, some cheaper sets use oval-shaped marbles. Some tourist sets use cowrie shells.

Objective[edit]

The game starts with four seeds in each house. The objective of the game is to capture more seeds than one's opponent. Since the game has only 48 seeds, capturing 25 is sufficient to win the game. Since there is an even number of seeds, it is possible for the game to end in a draw, where each player has captured 24.

Sowing[edit]

The lower player prepares to sow from E.

After sowing, e, d, and c are captured but not a.

Players take turns moving the seeds. On a turn, a player chooses one of the six houses under their control. The player removes all seeds from that house, and distributes them, dropping one in each house counter-clockwise from this house, in a process called sowing. Seeds are not distributed into the end scoring houses, nor into the house drawn from. The starting house is always left empty; if it contained 12 (or more) seeds, it is skipped, and the twelfth seed is placed in the next house. The diagram shows the result of sowing from house E.

Knowing the number of seeds in each house is, of course, important to game play. When there are many seeds in a house, sometimes enough to make a full lap of the board or more, they cannot easily be counted by eye, and their number is often guarded by the player who controls that house. This may be done by repeatedly moving the seeds in the house. A player may count the seeds when contemplating a move; in such cases the last few are usually counted in the hand to avoid revealing their number.

Capturing[edit]

In Oware Abapa, capturing occurs only when a player brings the count of an opponent's house to exactly two or three with the final seed he sowed in that turn.^[5] This always captures the seeds in the corresponding house, and possibly more: If the previous-to-last seed also brought an opponent's house to two or three, these are captured as well, and so on until a house is reached which does not contain two or three seeds or does not belong to the opponent. The captured seeds are placed in the player's scoring house (or set aside if the board has no scoring houses). However, if a move would capture all of an opponent's seeds, the capture is forfeited since this would prevent the opponent from continuing the game, and the seeds are instead left on the board. (However, see discussion on Grand Slam variations below). In the adjacent diagram, the lower player would capture all the seeds in houses e, d, and c but not b (as it has four seeds) or a (since it is not contiguous to the other captured houses).

Let the opponent play[edit]

The proscription against capturing all an opponent's seeds is related to a more general idea, that one ought to make a move that allows the opponent to continue playing. If an opponent's houses are all empty, the current player must make a move that gives the opponent seeds. If no such move is possible, the current player captures all seeds in their own territory, ending the game.

Winning[edit]

The game is over when one player has captured 25 or more seeds, or each player has taken 24 seeds (draw). If both players agree that the game has been reduced to an endless cycle, the game ends when each player has seeds in his holes and then each player captures the seeds on their side of the board.

Variations[edit]

'Grand Slam' variations[edit]

A grand slam is capturing all of an opponent's seeds in one turn. There are variations to the rule that applies, which may be one of the following:^[6]

1. Grand Slam captures are not legal moves.
2. Such a move is legal, but no capture results. International competitions often follow this rule.
3. Grand Slam captures are allowed, however, all remaining stones on the board are awarded to the opponent.
4. Such a move is legal, but the last (or first) house is not captured.

Various other rules also exist.

Variations allowing Grand Slams to end the game are strongly solved by Henri Bal and John Romein at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam in 2002; either side can force a draw.^[7]

How To Win In Mancala

One commercial version was marketed in 1964 by 3M, as the board game Oh-Wah-Ree.

History and society[edit]

Oware is perhaps the most widespread game in the mancala family of games.

Considered the national game of Bono State, Ashanti City-State, oware is said to derive its name — which literally means 'he/she marries' — from a legend in the Akan language and Twi, the language of the Akan people, about a man and a woman who played the game endlessly and, so as to be able to stay together and continue playing, they married.^[8][9]

Reflecting traditional African values, players of oware encourage participation by onlookers, making it perhaps the most social two-player abstract. In recreational play, it is normal for spectators to discuss the game in progress and to advise the players. Games may provide a focus for entertainment and meeting others. The game, or variations of it, also had an important role in teaching arithmetic to African children.^{[citation needed]}

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Oware'. BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
2. ^'Oware - Played all over the world'. www.oware.org. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
3. ^'African Games of Strategy: A Teaching Manual'. African Studies Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 20 December 1982. Retrieved 20 December 2017 – via Google Books.
4. ^Davis, Lucile (1999). Ghana. Capstone. ISBN978-0-7368-0069-3.
5. ^Soler, Joan Sala. 'Rules of oware - Aualé'. www.joansala.com. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
6. ^Chamberlin, David B. (November 2017). How to Play Warri : The Caribbean Oware Mancala Game (2nd ed.). Columbia, Missouri: Purple Squirrel Productions. p. 7. ISBN978-0-9994889-0-4.
7. ^Romein, John W.; Bal, Henri E. (June 2002). 'Awari is Solved'. ICGA Journal. 25 (2): 162–165. doi:10.3233/ICG-2002-25306. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
8. ^''Oware - History, Rules and Play', Games from Everywhere'(PDF). Retrieved 20 December 2017.^{[permanent dead link]}
9. ^Davis, Lucile (1999). Ghana. Capstone. ISBN978-0-7368-0069-3.

External links[edit]

• web-based Oware (Javascript) with optional computer players. Rules, options, and Oware history and background available via menu.
• Oware online by PlayOK. Multiplayer, real-time Oware game with human opponents

If you're looking to play a game and learn a little about how people in the past entertained themselves, Mancala is the best way to put yourself in their shoes. Or perhaps you played this game in the past and just want to relive your own childhood. In either case, this game will allow you to entertain yourself while gaining special benefits. Mancala is a game with a rich heritage and history. Mancala is a game that has been around for centuries and will probably live on for a few more. Mancala rules have almost 80 variations in this day and age but the essentials remain the same. However, among these, Oware, Bao, Kiswahili, and Wari are the most predominant ones.

Also known as the ‘sow and catch' game, Mancala depends on your ability to collect as many seeds or stones as you can, and the winner is declared based on this same principle.

Make sure you don't skip out the vital information.

Table of Contents

• 2 How to Play Mancala Game
• 4 Rules to Play Mancala Board Game
• 7 Online Mancala Game Apps to be Played
• 8 Learning Outcomes of Mancala Game

Origin of Mancala Game

The origin of Mancala can be traced back to North African countries like Ethiopia between CE 500 and 700. It is said that Mancala was used as a means of keeping track of agricultural produce, with its ‘sowing' and ‘capturing' of seeds. Some sources, however, speculate that Mancala was used in rituals in African temples and shrines. They say the board represents the earth, the holes represent the months of the year while the stones represent stars. And moving along the East to West set up board represents the movements of Gods while the game itself predicts the people's fate.

The name of the game originates from the Arabic word ‘naqala', which means ‘to move'. The game is played in the Baltic areas of Europe but didn't spread through Europe. It traveled with Arab trading to India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. The game was brought to Europe by the slave trade.

How to Play Mancala Game

Equipment Required to Play Mancala:

To play the ancient and fun game of Mancala you only need two, very simple things; the Mancala board and some marbles.

1. The board: the board is 17.5 inches in length and 5.5 inches in width, consisting of twelve small holes along the longer sides, called the non-Mancala cups and two large, elongated holes on each short end, called the Mancala cups. If you do not have a Mancala board, you can always use an egg carton or simply dig small holes in the ground to make a Mancala board in the ground.
2. The marbles: a total of forty-eight marbles are needed to play the game. Four marbles are placed in each small hole. Any small objects like stones or sunflower seeds can be used in place of the marbles.

How to Setup a Mancala Game

To set up your Mancala game you will need to have the above equipment. Once you've bought the given equipment, it will be very easy for you to get started.

• To set up the game you need to find a table or comfortable cushions to sit on the floor. Then you need to layout the board.
• Both players need to sit on either of the two sides of the board.
• Once everyone is settled in, four stones should be placed in each hole.

Now the game can begin by choosing who goes first and starting the collection of stones in one's own Mancala cup.

How to Make a DIY Mancala Board

If you think going out to buy a Mancala board is too much work, and ordering online will just take too much time, don't worry! You can easily make a Mancala board at home. No need to go through the hassle of running to the market or the wait for online shopping. To make your very own Mancala board, you'll need to follow the following steps.

1. Get an empty twelve egg container or an ice cube tray. The holes in these are perfect to use as your Non-Mancala cups.
2. Place two larger cups on the longer sides of these to create the Mancala cups.
3. Now open up a bag of peanuts or sunflower seeds and use these are your marbles or stones.

That's it! Your DIY Mancala game is ready to be played!

The Objective of Mancala Game

The main objective of the game is to gather as many stones as possible in your Mancala cups since whoever has the most stones here at the end of the game is declared the winner. You can do this by picking the Non-Mancala cups in such an order that most stones end up in your Mancala cup. The details of this strategy are explained further in the article.

Rules to Play Mancala Board Game

The game is fairly easy to understand and very straightforward. The following rules and regulations will make it clear to you how you're supposed to play the game.

• The board of Mancala is set up in such a way that each long side is placed towards the players, with the players facing each other.
• Four marbles are placed in each small hole while the larger hole is left empty.
• Choose which players get to go first, using rock paper scissors, dibs or whatever way you prefer.
• The chosen player should then pick up the four stones from any one of his non-Mancala cups and drop them into the following cups using an anti-clockwise movement. The player must not drop any stones into the Mancala cup of the opponent. He can, however, drop them into his own Mancala cup and the non-Mancala cups of both the players.
• Step 4 should be repeated over and over by each player in turns until one long side of the board is completely empty.
• Then the stones in each Mancala cup are counted and the player with the most stones in his or her Mancala cup wins that round.

How To Win Game Pigeon Mancala Play

Along with these basic rules, there are also some special rules that make the gameplay interesting.

Special Rules

• When the last stone in your hand lands in your Mancala cup, you get to take another turn.
• When the last stone in your hand lands in one of your own Non-Mancala cups and that cup has been empty you get to keep all of the stones in your opponent's cup on the opposite side. Put those captured stones, as well as the last stone that you just played on your side, into your Mancala cup.

Strategies to Win Mancala

Although Mancala may seem like a game of luck, there are certain ways that luck can be shaped in your favor. The following strategies, with make use of the special rules mentioned above, can help you win the game and give you an opportunity to show your friends just how smart you are!

• Flight: if you are afraid that your opponent will try to capture your stones, just empty out the cup you think they are going to try and empty before they do so.
• Threat: you can use the special rules and create a threat for your opponent, this will scare them and they will get too busy trying to elude your threat. They won't have the ability to threaten you!
• Hoarding: the act of refusing to play from one specific cup, this allows stones to accumulate there and when the game ends, they can all move to the Mancala cup. However, if this cup is captured, you could lose a major chunk of your stones! So beware while using this strategy.
• Starving: in this strategy you can gather up most of your stones on your side of the Mancala and ‘starve' the opponent, forcing his side to empty out and hence winning the game when the stones are counted. This strategy should also be used carefully as the risk of capture is ever-present.
• Avoiding excess Buildup: you should keep track of the number of stones in each cup to make sure you only have enough to cover your side and your Mancala cup. This way you can avoid putting stones in your opponent's cups.

Variations of a Mancala Game

Although there is one version of Mancala played in the United States today, there are multiple variations of this game that are played worldwide. Including the following:

1. Congkak: This version of the game is played in Southeast Asian countries, predominantly in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The board is usually decorated with more colors than the American version. This version of the game has seven cups on each player's side with seven stones in each cup. The rules are mostly the same except, each player keeps taking turns until their stone falls into an empty cup of the opponent, only then can their opponent start taking turns.

1. Omweso: This is the version that is played in Uganda. The board for Omweso has thirty-two cups or holes instead of the standard twelve, arranged in rows of eight. There are no large, elongated holes. Each player resides over sixteen cups. Four stones are placed in one of the eight holes closest to the players while both the middle rows are left empty. The player then moves their stones. The rest of the rules remain fairly similar.

1. Bao: This is a traditional Mancala board game played in most of East Africa including Kenya and Tanzania. The board in Bao, like Omweso, has thirty-two cups or holes arranged in rows of eight. There are no large, elongated holes. Some pits that play a special role in the game have specific names. The game starts with each player putting one of the stones in their hands into one of the holes.

1. Toguz Kumalak: This version is played in Central Asia. The board has nine elongated cups on each side. Each cup contains nine stones. Most rules are similar except that when you pick up stones from a cup, the first stone is dropped in the same cup instead of the next one. However, if the cup you're picking up stones from has only one left then that stone goes to the next cup. And so on. This version also has some special cups like the kazan and tuzdik.

1. Pallanguzhi: This Tamil version is played in South India which is played on a board with 2 rows of 7 holes each. A typical game involves using 146 seeds. 12 counters are placed in each cup except the middle of each row into which only 2 counters are placed. The rules for a standard Mancala game also apply to this version.

Online Mancala Game Apps to be Played

Ancient Mancala Game

The app can be enjoyed anywhere while competing with people around the world. You can pick whether you want to play online or offline and then also if you want to play with random people or your friends. The app also allows you to learn how to play the game, so it's ideal if you haven't played the game before. To play each round, however, you need at least fifty chips which means if you run out of chips, you won't be able to play any longer.

• Leaderboard
• Exclusive how-to-play section with three subsections namely, Basics; Rules and Strategy. Each subsection is taught by showing you a game that is played by the computer, so you can truly understand everything instead of just reading a list.
• It allows you to make in-app purchases for chips and different kinds of boards and stones, which you need to play a new game.

The offline version allows you to choose whether you want to play against the computer or with a friend, so you and your friend can play while sitting together instead of online.

Mancala Club

In this app, you're given the option to either play online with players from around the world or play offline if you don't have an internet connection. You can also choose the level of difficulty from three categories, easy; medium or hard. However, some users complain about a massive number of advertisements.

• How to play section that shows you how a game is played from start to finish
• Mini-games to help you practice how to apply strategies.
• It allows you to play offline but only with the computer.
• Online games can be played with friends and random people.
• Three levels of difficulty to choose from when playing a game, allowing you to learn from easier games.

Learning Outcomes of Mancala Game

Games tend to prove useful in more than one way. It can be used in schools as well as at home to teach your children many skills.

How To Win Game Pigeon Mancala To Play

• If young students are told to pick and distribute the stones with one hand, it can help improve their motor skills.
• With the much needed quick addition and subtraction, playing Mancala can prove to be a good math exercise for students and young children.
• Mancala also gives room to develop deep critical thinking skills. These can aid children and adults alike in future decision making.

How To Win Game Pigeon Mancala Game