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
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
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.
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:
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:
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.