Traditional Ghanaian game

Oware

Oware (Twi: “he marries” — a marriage of strategy)

Ghana’s classic strategy board game — now playable right here.

Players: 2 playersAges: Ages 8+Where: Indoors · board gameTime: 10–20 minutes

Playable now

Play Oware here — you move first

You · 0First to 250 · Computer

Your move — tap a pit on your side.

Computer’s side

Your side

Your record on this device: 0W · 0L · 0D

Oware is the most famous traditional board game in Ghana, played by the Akan people for centuries and now loved across West Africa and the diaspora. All you need is a wooden board with twelve pits and 48 seeds — or stones, pebbles, or bottle tops.

The rules take five minutes to learn but the strategy runs deep: every move feeds your opponent seeds while setting traps to capture theirs. Capturing 25 of the 48 seeds wins the game. It is a game of counting, foresight, and patience — elders say it teaches planning and self-control.

The rules

1The board has 2 rows of 6 pits. Each pit starts with 4 seeds (48 total). You own the row closest to you.
2On your turn, pick up all seeds from one non-empty pit on your side and sow them one-by-one into following pits, moving anticlockwise.
3If your last seed lands in an opponent’s pit and brings it to exactly 2 or 3 seeds, you capture (“eat”) those seeds — then keep capturing backwards through consecutive opponent pits holding 2 or 3.
4A move that would capture ALL of your opponent’s seeds captures nothing (the grand-slam rule) — you must always let your opponent play.
5If your opponent has no seeds, you must play a move that gives them some, if you have one. Otherwise the game ends.
6First to capture 25 or more seeds wins. 24–24 is a draw.

How to play & win

1Sit facing your opponent with the board between you. Your six pits are the row nearest you.
2Tap one of your pits with seeds to pick them up and sow anticlockwise, one seed per pit.
3Watch for pits on your opponent’s side holding 1 or 2 seeds — landing there makes 2 or 3, which you capture.
4Count ahead: before moving, trace where your last seed lands and what it creates for your opponent next.
5Avoid “feeding” captures — moves that leave your pits at 1 or 2 seeds invite your opponent to eat them.
6Play the endgame: when few seeds remain, force moves that starve your opponent so leftover seeds fall to you.

The cultural story

Among the Akan, oware boards are often carved from a single block of wood and passed down through families. The name is said to come from “ɔware” — he or she marries — because the game joins two minds in union. Ghana hosts national oware tournaments, and the game is taught in schools as a way to sharpen mental arithmetic in children.

Follow Oware stories in Ghana news →

Oware FAQs

How do you win Oware?

Capture 25 or more of the 48 seeds by landing your last seed in an opponent’s pit to make 2 or 3 (“eating” them). If both sides finish level at 24–24, the game is a draw.

How many seeds go in each pit at the start?

Four seeds in each of the 12 pits (two rows of six), 48 seeds in total. You own the row of pits closest to you.

Can you play Oware online free?

Yes — the free board at the top of this page lets you play Oware against the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard, with no download or sign-up.