Bao la Kiswahili

About this game

Bao la Kiswahili is the great strategy game of Zanzibar, Tanzania and Kenya, and the deepest of the mancala family. Bring seeds into play in namua, capture and sow from a kichwa, guard your nyumba, then fight the mtaji. Six lessons, Watch & Learn, Think hints, four computer levels and a full illustrated Rules page.

How to play

1. You sit at the bottom. The two rows nearest you are yours; the glowing pits are the ones you may play.
2. Namua: you start with 22 seeds in your store. Each turn one goes into a pit of your front row.
3. If a glowing pit faces enemy seeds you must capture: tap it, then choose the end of your front row (kichwa) to sow the captured seeds from.
4. If nothing can capture, play a takata: pick a glowing pit and a direction. Both directions show where the sowing would end.
5. Mtaji: once your store is empty, sow a pit with 2 or more seeds. If its last seed lands on a pit facing enemy seeds, you capture.
6. Win by leaving your opponent with an empty front row or no pit that can be sown.
7. Think shows a good move and why. Undo takes a move back. Watch & Learn plays a whole game for you to study.
8. The Rules page explains every rule, nyumba, safari and kutakatia included, with pictures and text up to 300%.