No.357
Oware: Abapa
Japanese name: オワリ アバパ
You can scroll an enlarged diagram from side to side. Press again to return to its original size.
Diagram key
- A
- Your 6 pits are on the near side. Sow counterclockwise.
- B
- Opponent’s side
Materials
- A board with two rows of six pits
- 48 counting counters
- 2 containers for captured counters
How to play
- Put four counters in each of twelve pits. Your nearest six are your side. Choose who starts and alternate one turn each. Never sow into the capture containers.
- Take all counters from one non-empty pit on your side and sow one per pit anticlockwise, starting at the next pit. Skip the original pit even when making a full circuit.
- If the last counter lands in an opposing pit and makes its total two or three, capture that whole pit. Work backwards through consecutive opposing pits, capturing each with two or three; stop at the first other total.
- If that capture would empty the opponent’s entire side, capture nothing on that turn. Leave all those counters on the board and change turns.
- If the opponent’s side is empty, choose a move that feeds counters to it whenever possible. If none can feed it, finish; collect the counters remaining on your own side.
- Capturing at least 25 wins; 24 each draws. If both agree that play is cycling without progress, finish, collect each side’s remaining counters and compare totals.
Ways to adapt
For a first game, point to the final pit and decide together whether its counters are captured or left.