Learn Kisolo.
The next hole changes everything.
Kisolo — Ludii rules profile
Kisolo (also spelled Cisolo) is associated with Luba, Lulua and Songye communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “Chisolo” can name different games. This table implements one explicit computational profile, not universal traditional rules.
We follow Ludii’s executable Kisolo rules. Its Townshend transcription differs on capture deposits and the winning row. We do not silently combine these accounts, the 4×6 simplification, or Chisolo I. See the Ludii profile and bibliography.
The playing contract
- Four rows of seven. Each player owns two rows; outer pits start with three seeds, inner pits empty.
- Before sowing, complete every available capture: an occupied inner pit facing an occupied enemy inner pit takes both enemy pits in that column into your outer pit. Your inner seeds remain.
- Choose any occupied own pit, even a singleton. Sow from the next pit around your own anticlockwise 14-pit loop.
- After each packet, inspect the next pit, not the landing pit. Empty ends the turn. Otherwise capture there if eligible, then lift its seeds and relay.
- An empty outer row loses, checked after each packet and its next-pit capture. No end stores, sweeping or off-board score.
01 / Look beyond the landing
Read the arrow as a question: “What is in the next hole?” The displayed packet count summarizes the entire resolved action; you never wait through a long animation.
02 / A capture stays on the board
Illustrative column: 3 + 2 transfer into the 4, making 9. The South inner pit remains 1. This is a transfer, not a collected score.
Read this table
North owns the upper two rows; South owns the lower two. North’s outer arrow points left, its inner arrow right. South’s outer arrow points right, its inner arrow left. The view never flips. Large numerals are exact; decorative seeds stop at eight. Gold rings are server-issued choices. During mandatory capture, select the highlighted own inner pit; after captures, the choices change to sowing. A dashed ring marks the last landing. Arrow keys navigate; Enter or Space selects.
Digital house guard
A single sow action still unresolved after 4,096 packets ends in a safety draw. This implementation limit is not a traditional rule or a claim of exact cycle detection. There is no global turn cap. South starts at this table.
A private table, or a computer
Choose South or North in either mode. Computer difficulty ranges from 400–2400, in 100-point steps: approximate labels, not measured or calibrated Elo. Allow 0–12 invited spectators. Friend games support draw offers; players can resign. Invitations and seat credentials are private. Keep this browser tab to reconnect after a refresh; use Reconnect if a connection stalls.
The native assembly server alone adjudicates play and AI. Handwritten WebAssembly decodes snapshots, places pits and matches supplied legal actions. JavaScript connects that presentation to the network.