Opponent ladder
Numbered opponents with increasing strength, saved locally as you beat each one.
Traditional Tanzanian & Zanzibar mancala game
Bao: sow across four rows, capture across the board, out-think the AI.
Sow and capture seeds across a real four-row mancala board from Tanzania and Zanzibar, and climb a ladder of tougher AI opponents.
- Play style
- AI difficulty ladder
- Best for
- Turn-based strategy sessions
- Where to play
- Mobile or desktop
How to play
Start with the visible goal, make your move, and build on the result.
01
Choose an opponent from the difficulty ladder, then sow seeds from one of your pits around the board according to Bao’s sowing rules.
02
Capture opposing seeds when your sowing lands correctly in your own front row facing an occupied opponent pit.
03
Keep sowing and capturing until your opponent has no seeds left to move, or no legal move remains — the side with more captured seeds wins.
What to expect
Climb a ladder of opponents with real capture tactics.
Bao is a full rule-based four-row mancala engine, played against a heuristic AI that gets tougher as you climb the ladder.
Four-row sowing
A deeper board than classic two-row mancala, with real Bao sowing and capture rules.
Traditional roots
A real implementation of the Tanzania & Zanzibar mancala tradition, not a generic board reskin.
Embed this game
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Frequently asked questions
What is Bao?
Bao is a traditional mancala game from Tanzania and Zanzibar, played on a four-row board with real sowing and capture rules.
How is Bao different from Oware?
Bao uses a four-row board and different capture conditions, making it a deeper variant of the mancala family than the two-row Oware/Ayo style games.
How do I win at Bao?
Capture more of your opponent’s seeds until they have no seeds left to move or no legal move remains.
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