Play Oware Online — Free, vs Computer or Real Players

Play oware online: vs computer, people or a coach

On 9qum you can play oware online for free, in your browser on a phone or a computer, with no download. Oware, the West African game also known as awale, awari or warri, is played on a board of two rows of six pits with 48 seeds. You only need a free one-minute sign-up.

Play against the computer, play rated games against real people, or learn with a coach.

4 AI levels

The computer has four levels: Novice, Amateur, Strong and Master. Novice helps you learn the captures, while Master counts seeds carefully and sets up chain captures. Move up a level when you win regularly.

Friends by invite link, Glicko-2 rating, tournaments

To play a friend, send an invite link, or play two players on one phone. Games with people are rated with Glicko-2, and oware has its own tournaments. Every game is saved in your history with replay.

Voice coach

In Play with a coach mode, a coach character plays against you and rates each of your moves as best, excellent, good, inaccuracy, mistake or blunder. The coach gives hints, offers a take-back after a bad move and speaks its comments aloud, so you understand why a move wins or loses seeds.

Oware rules in 30 seconds

Each player has six pits with four seeds in each. On your turn you pick up all the seeds from one of your pits and sow them one by one into the following pits. If your last seed brings an opponent's pit to 2 or 3, you capture it, and you continue backwards along the chain while the previous pits also hold 2 or 3. You must not leave your opponent without seeds. The first player to collect 25 seeds wins.

Oware, awale, awari, warri — one game, many names

The game has many names in different countries and languages: oware, awale, awalé, awari, owari, wari, warri. On 9qum we use the 9qum rules described above, close to oware abapa. The board works on any phone or computer, and the site is available in English, Russian and Kazakh.

Lessons, puzzles and game analysis

To learn oware from scratch, open the Learn section: a 15-step course on a live board covers the rules, the first tactics and how to win. To train your calculation there are Puzzles: 37 positions where you look for the best move and the board checks your answer at once.

Game analysis lets you play moves for both sides, set up your own position and ask the AI for advice. Games against the computer are saved in your history.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free?

Yes, oware on 9qum is free in every mode: computer, people, friend by link and coach.

How strong is the AI?

There are four levels, from Novice to Master. Master is a real test for experienced players.

How do I play with a friend?

Create a game and send the invite link, or play two players on one phone.

Do I need to register?

Yes, a free sign-up that takes a minute. Your account keeps your rating and game history.

Is there an app?

You can play oware in any browser without installing anything, and there is also a 9qum Android app on Google Play.

Which rules does 9qum use?

Captures of 2 or 3 seeds with the backward chain, the feeding rule, and 25 seeds to win (24:24 is a draw). A grand slam, a move that would take all of the opponent's seeds, captures nothing. If no one can feed or there is no capture for 200 moves, each player takes the seeds on their own side.

Rules, coach and lessons

Oware rules · Oware strategy

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Other languages: Русский · Қазақша