Oware - Played all over the

world
Abapa Rules

A traditional variant of Oware played by adults and used

for competitions

Abapa meaning the proper version: literally translated from

the Twi language spoken by the Akan of Ghana, the good
stone. This version has been traditionally played by Adults
and used for competitions. It is played all over West Africa
and the Caribbean and known by different names. Some of
these are Ayoayo (Yoruba-Nigeria), Awale (Ivory Coast), Our
i(Cape Verde), Warri (Antigua, Barbados), Adji-Boto (Ewes-
Ghana & Surinam), Awele (Ga's-Ghana & Ivory Coast).
These are just some of the names of this version of Oware,
there are many more.

Arrangement of board at the beginning of each game or

round:

Four seeds are placed in each house on a board that is

made up of two rows of six houses making twelve in total.
Each row of six houses is the territory of the player sitting
nearest to them. With two end houses used as stores for
captured seeds.
Object

The object of the game is to capture as many seeds

(nickers) as possible. The first player to capture 25 seeds or
more wins the game. A draw is possible in this game with
each player capturing 24 seeds. Seeds are captured, by
making two's or three's with ones last seed on the
opponent's side.

Board

Oware consists of fourteen depressions {houses} for a

standard board or twelve for most portables, scooped in the
ground or carved out of a board. These are arranged in two
rows of six houses, each player having six houses facing
them in the case of the portable boards. For the standard
board the two extra houses used for storing captured seeds
are placed at either side of the board in-between the two
rows. The game is played with 48 seeds {nickers}, with 4
seeds placed in each house.

Maneuver

To start the game both players have to decide who should

start. This can be done by the toss of a coin or by mutual
agreement. In subsequent games the winner starts. Once it
has been decided who should start that player can pick up
from any one of the 6 houses in front of them that makes up
their territory. Once the house has been selected all the
seeds have to be scooped and sown in an anti-clockwise
direction, in a consecutive manner placing the first seed in
the house to the right of where they were scooped from.
The remainder of the seeds, are placed in the houses
directly following each other without skipping a house.

Omitting a house

The only exception is when a house that is being played has

more than 11 seeds in it. With this situation one will be able
to place a seed in each house until one comes to the
original house that one scooped the seeds from, the next
seed is not placed in this house but in the one after it. The
same is repeated on subsequent rounds.

Capturing seeds

One captures seeds, by making a two or three with ones

last seed on the opponents side. Take note if one makes a
two or three but has seeds left to sow one does not gain
anything.

Multiple Capture

If one makes a two or three with ones last seed and the
house or houses preceding the captured house on the
opponents side also have twos, threes or any combination
of them, one captures these as well. So long as there are no
houses with less than two or more than three seeds, in-
between them, a maximum of five houses can be captured
in this way. Beyond five houses one forfeits everything, as
this would leave the opponent with no seeds to play with.

Compulsory moves

If the situation arises where one player has no seeds to play

with the other player must provide some seeds to the
opponent if possible. A move that does not do this whilst
being able to feed the other player with seeds is not
allowed. Greater priority is placed on capturing seeds to the
end. There for maneuvering seeds in such a way that will
eventually lead to the opponent not having no seeds to play
with is not encouraged.

End game

The game ends when one player has captured 25 seeds or

more. When both players decide that continuing will only
lead to going round in circles in such a case each player
keeps the seeds on their side.