Flash Review — Qawale

Players: 2
Age: 8+
Playtime: 15 min
Complexity: 1/10

Abstract games—with simple rules, even simpler pieces, and zero theme—come and go, most of them rehashing previously attempted concepts with little success. Once in a while, however, a new abstract design just grabs me, and I need to keep playing it.

Qawale couldn't be any simpler. It's played on a 4x4 board with eight dark-colored pieces, eight light-colored pieces, and eight neutral pieces. On your turn, put one of your pieces on top of a pile (which could be just one piece), then pick up the entire pile and move it around orthogonally while dropping the bottom piece on each space you reach, mancala-style.
For example, if you play one of your pieces on a two-piece pile, you'll then pick up the three-piece pile and start moving. Move one step and drop the bottom piece there; move another step and drop the (new) bottom piece there; move a third and final step, and put the only piece you still have in hand there.

You win if you manage to make a row of four (visible) pieces in your color, either orthogonally or diagonally. (In the picture above, the Light player just won.)
If no line exists after both players have run out of pieces, the game is tied.

While it runs on crazy-simple rules, Qawale is full of nuances and surprises. And despite its 16-move limit (8 per player), you can definitely feel an arc to the game: openings, mid-game tactics, and closers.

And what's not to love about wooden boards and playing pieces?

Most easily forgotten rule: Although you can win by making a diagonal line, you can't move diagonally.

# # #