Mancala World
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(→‎Human Players: no longer online play)
 
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| [[Oware]] || [http://www.brettspielnetz.de/oware/oware.php Brettspielnetz] || turn-based || yes || yes || no || no || '''no Abapa rules'''! <span style="color:red"><sup>'''pay site (basic access free)'''</sup></span>
 
| [[Oware]] || [http://www.brettspielnetz.de/oware/oware.php Brettspielnetz] || turn-based || yes || yes || no || no || '''no Abapa rules'''! <span style="color:red"><sup>'''pay site (basic access free)'''</sup></span>
|-
 
| [[Oware]] || [http://www.ethnoludie.com/ Ethnoludie] || real time || no || no || no || no || called "Awalé"; robot or human opponent; '''no Abapa rules'''! (Grand Slam captures) <span style="color:green"><sup>'''free site'''</sup></span>
 
 
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| [[Oware]] || [http://goldtoken.com/games/play?rules=Mancala GoldToken] || turn-based || yes || yes || yes (access must be paid for) || no || called "mancala"; '''very artificial rules, not abapa'''! (remaining seeds are left on the board and are not counted) <span style="color:red"><sup>'''pay site (basic access free)'''</sup></span>
 
| [[Oware]] || [http://goldtoken.com/games/play?rules=Mancala GoldToken] || turn-based || yes || yes || yes (access must be paid for) || no || called "mancala"; '''very artificial rules, not abapa'''! (remaining seeds are left on the board and are not counted) <span style="color:red"><sup>'''pay site (basic access free)'''</sup></span>

Latest revision as of 08:43, 19 May 2018

Ouri-oware

Portuguese students playing Oware on igGameCenter

Online games are games played over some form of computer network typically the Internet. Many mancala games can be played online.

"Online gaming is a technology rather than a genre; a mechanism for connecting players together rather than a particular pattern of gameplay."

Andrew Rollings & Ernest Adams (2006)

Computer Opponents

Java Applets
Game Web site Notes
Afrika Super Duper Games registration required
Bawo BAWO - Simple Perplexity ---
Bohnenspiel Spiele-himmel.de ---
Diffusion Super Duper Games registration required
Freedom igGameCenter strong opponent
Ioiwari Soluzione problema IOIWari solution to an Ioiwari problem
Kalah Björn's Kalaha Game called "Kalaha"
Kalah Stephen Houser called "Mancala"
Kalah Gobo Mancala plays like "a distracted monkey"
Kalah JGames! called "Mancala"; obnoxious pop-ups
Kalah African Stones Applet called "African Stones Game"
Kalah Mankala called "Mankala"
Kalah Look out now! called "Mancala"
Kalah 100 JavaScript Online Games called "Mancala"
Kalah Copleys Web Graphics called "Awari"
Kalah Corngolem called "Mancala"
Kalah Rocketsnail Games called "Mancala"
Kalah Timothy Bahls' Homepage called "Mancala"; many variations
Kalah spielen.de called "Mancala"; four seeds per hole
Kalah the Kidz page called "Mancala"; nice background music
Kalah Free Brain Game called "Mancala"
Kalah Math Playground called "Mancala"
Kalah BILDspielt called "Mancala"
Kalah Free Games Tower called "Mancala"
Kalah SoftSchools called "Mancala"
Kalah PrimaryGames called "Mancala"
Kalah Fupa Games called "Mancala"; very weak; number of seeds are not shown
Kalah Kongregate called "Mancala"
Kauri igGameCenter strong opponent
MiniMancala mindsports.nl perfect play
MiniMancala Archimedes-lab.com claims erroneously that "mancala" is 7,000 years old
Murus Gallicus igGameCenter see here
Ouri CCEMS Cape Verdean rules
Oware http://omerkel.github.io/Oware/html5/src/ multiple choices
Oware Awele homepage called "Awele"
Oware Alewand called "Bohnenspiel"
Oware CENA called "Awele"; very simple applet
Oware Kongregate ---
Toguz Kumalak Frumpppy Old Woman called "Togiz Kumalak"

Human Players

List of games & gaming communities
Game Community Mode Ranking Tournaments Archives Recommended Notes
55Stones Super Duper Games turn-based yes no yes no good web interface; statistics; wrong rules (sente and gote doesn't work properly) free site
Afrika Super Duper Games turn-based yes no yes yes good web interface; robot or human opponent; statistics free site
Alemungula igGameCenter real time yes no no yes good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Bao la Kiswahili Baogame real time no no yes no robot or human opponent; wrong rules** free site
Bao la Kiswahili Klubo Internacia de Bao-Amantoj (KIBA) turn-based yes no yes yes Italian site in English, Italian and Swahili free site
Bohnenspiel games.wtanaka.com turn-based yes no yes no games are played blind because the contents of a hole cannot be counted free site
Bohnenspiel igGameCenter real time yes no no yes good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Cascades Super Duper Games turn-based yes no yes yes good web interface; statistics free site
Cross-Kalah Grand Games real time yes no no yes 6 counters per hole free site
Cross-Kalah igGameCenter real time yes no no yes 3, 4, 5 or 6 counters per hole; includes the "empty capture" variation; game statistics; good graphical web interface free site
Cups BrettspielWelt real time yes yes no yes called "BohnDuell" or "Bohnenduell"; 2x4 board free site
Diffusion GamesByEMail turn-based no no no no wrong rules (players can offer a draw, although the inventor stated: "Draws and ties cannot occur") free site
Diffusion games.wtanaka.com turn-based yes no yes no includes several variants (beginners, different location of blocks); games are played blind because the contents of a hole cannot be counted free site
Diffusion Richard's Play-By-eMail Server turn-based yes no no no no graphical web interface! free site
Diffusion Super Duper Games turn-based yes no yes yes good web interface; statistics free site
Exxit BoardSpace real time yes no yes yes robot free site
Exxit Boîte à jeux turn-based yes yes no yes --- free site
Freedom igGameCenter real time yes no no yes good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Glass Bead Game MindSports turn-based yes no yes no buggy (illegal moves are permitted) free site
Hawalis igGameCenter real time yes no no yes good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Inchworm Super Duper Games turn-based yes no yes no good web interface; statistics; the game, however, is flawed! free site
Intermedium Super Duper Games turn-based yes no yes yes good web interface; games archive & statistics free site
Kalah Aapeli (Playforia) real time yes no no no called "mancala"; only 4 counters per hole; no pie rule or other balancing! pay site (basic access free)
Kalah BrainKing turn-based yes yes no no called "mancala"; only 4 counters per hole; no pie rule or other balancing! pay site (basic access free)
Kalah BugCafe real time yes yes no no called "mancala"; only 4 counters per hole; no pie rule or other balancing! free site
Kalah Flat Earth Communications real time no no no no called "mancala"; only 3 counters per hole; robot or human opponent; ugly interface; no pie rule or other balancing! free site
Kalah Fupa Games real time no no no no called "mancala"; 4 counters per hole; annoying ads and pop-ups; no pie rule or other balancing! free site
Kalah Grand Games real time yes no no no 6 counters per hole; no pie rule or other balancing! free site
Kalah igGameCenter real time yes no no yes 3, 4, 5 or 6 counters per hole; includes the "empty capture" variation; pie rule; game statistics; good graphical web interface free site
Kalah Mancala Time real time yes no no no called "mancala"; 3,4, 5 or 6 counters per hole; no pie rule or other balancing! free site
Kalah Playforia real time yes no no no less traffic than the German sister site; called "mancala"; only 4 counters per hole; no pie rule or other balancing! pay site (basic access free)
Kalah spin.de real time yes no no no called "mancala"; 3-8 counters per hole; robot or human opponent; wrong rules (confused with Oware); no pie rule or other balancing! pay site (basic access free)
Kauri igGameCenter real time yes no no yes good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Murus Gallicus igGameCenter real time yes no no yes good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Oware AwaNet real time yes no no no called "Awale"; no Abapa rules! (Grand Slams are illegal and cycling seeds aren't counted) pay site
Oware Brettspielnetz turn-based yes yes no no no Abapa rules! pay site (basic access free)
Oware GoldToken turn-based yes yes yes (access must be paid for) no called "mancala"; very artificial rules, not abapa! (remaining seeds are left on the board and are not counted) pay site (basic access free)
Oware igGameCenter real time yes no no yes Abapa rules; good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Oware Jijbent.nl turn-based yes yes no no no Abapa rules! pay site (basic access free)
Oware Ludoteka real time yes no no yes Abapa rules; offers the possibility to continue the game even after one player has captured 25 seeds or more pay site (basic access free)
Oware Richard's Play-By-eMail Server turn-based yes no no no called "Warri"; no graphical web interface; no Abapa rules! (Grand Slam captures) free site
Oware Your Turn My Turn turn-based yes yes no no no Abapa rules! pay site (basic access free)
Oware Yucata turn-based yes yes no no no Abapa rules; called "Awale" at Yucata; free site
Pilare igGameCenter real time yes no no yes good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Slime Trail igGameCenter real time yes yes no yes good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Snail Trail igGameCenter real time yes yes no no original rules changed; game statistics free site
Progressive Mancala games.wtanaka.com turn-based yes no yes no only the beginner's small board version; games are played blind because the contents of a hole cannot be counted free site
Toguz Kumalak igGameCenter real time yes yes no yes good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Tumbling Down BoardSpace real time yes no yes yes misspelled "Tumblingdown"; robot free site
Tumbling Down Richard's Play-By-eMail Server turn-based yes no no no no graphical web interface! free site
Vai Lung Thlan igGameCenter real time yes yes no yes good graphical web interface; game statistics free site
Volcano BoardSpace real time yes no yes yes robot or human opponent free site
Volcano games.wtanaka.com turn-based yes no yes yes solitaire or multi-player free site
Volcano Super Duper Games turn-based no no yes yes including Mega Volcano; game statistics free site
ZigZag Richard's Play-By-eMail Server turn-based yes no no no no graphical web interface! free site

Notes:

* Ranking only visible of those players, which are online.

** Reason(s) for not being recommended are given in bold letters.


General comparison between the gaming communities
Community Games (Total) Perfect Abstracts* Mancala Games Two-dimensional Sowing Games Alexa Traffic Rank (Domain)
Aapeli (Playforia) 34**** 10 1 0 35,352
AwaNet 1 1 1 0 no data
Baogame 1 1 1 0 14,223,783
Boîte à jeux 19 9 0 1 955,191
BoardSpace 34 28 0 3 3,081,555
BrainKing 116*** 89*** 1 0 172,623
Brettspielnetz 33*** 15*** 1 0 1,818,075
BrettspielWelt 77 4 1 0 79,596
BugCafe 192 4 1 0 414,883
Ethnoludie 5 2 1 0 26,061,779
Flat Earth Communications 1 1 1 0 9,664,617
GamesByEMail 41 30 1 0 157,808
games.wtanaka.com 28**** 21*** 3 1 306,040**
igGameCenter 125 121 8 2 2,887,279
Jijbent.nl 49*** 21*** 1 0 295,808
Ludoteka 59 28 1 0 20,819
MindSports 17 17 1 0 5,134,339
Playforia 33**** 10 1 0 3,021,791
Richard's PBeM Server 235**** 200 3 1 1,270,602
Klubo Internacia de Bao-Amantoj (KIBA) 1 1 1 0 2,068,337
Mancala Time 1 1 1 0 10,586,648
spin.de 15 6 1 0 5,558
Super Duper Games 116 99 3 3 3,282,037
Your Turn My Turn 38 19 1 0 808,649
Yucata 52 15 1 0 286,072

Notes:

* "Perfect abstracts" are abstract strategy games for two players or teams with perfect and complete information, no chance and no manual dexterity required.

** The game site, however, has very low traffic (a total of less than 40 games per month).

*** Minor variants such as Go (19x19) and Go (9x9) or Diffusion and Diffusion v2 are counted as one game.

**** Without solitaires.

A Flawed Implementation (Example)

A flawed implementation of Oware was offered by Jij Bent (Netherlands), which has got sister sites called Brettspielnetz (Germany) and Your Turn My Turn (USA). However, the rules were not abapa for many years, which could result in very odd endgames. Cycles were ended, when a board position repeated for the first time even if only one player had seeds in their holes.

An example:

thumb‎

South plays 6, which results in a repetition of the board position. Note that the lower board had been reached before (in move 67) by sowing a singleton from 6 (that is, a different move). Brettspielnetz awarded all 6 seeds to North (!) who, for that reason, won the game by 26 : 22 points. However, it would have been correct to let North feed South first and, thereafter, to give each player the 3 seeds on his side. In fact, abapa play results in a win for South by 25 : 23 points.

The chief admin Bram Schoonhoven needed almost eight years to correct the flawed implementaton:

  • April 13, 2009 - First note that the rules aren't abapa in the Brettspielnetz forum.
  • February 24, 2017 - A user complains that the rules are still heterodox (see example above).
  • March 16, 2017 - "Brettspielnetz" claims that the implementation was corrected. The same was said on "Your Turn My Turn" the day before.

However, the implementation is still not abapa as the following example shows:

thumb‎

The position repeats for the first time, but the opponent is now to move! And yet the game ends.

Copyright

© Ralf Gering
Under the CC by-sa 2.5 license.