Mancala games can be played in a competitive manner like other mindsports, e.g. chess, shogi, xiang qi, go, renju or draughts. Every year hundreds of tournaments are organized throughout the world.
Over-the-board Tournaments
| Game
| Tournaments
| Leading Players
| Notes
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| Oware | Andorra (Andorra-la-Vella); Antigua & Barbuda (Johnson's Point, St. John's); Austria (Vienna); Barbados (Speightstown); Belgium (Antwerp); Burkina Faso (?); Canada (London ON), Czech Republic (Prague); France (Cannes, Champsanglard, Hellemes, Ivry-Port, Le Bourg, Le Pradet, Lille, Paris, Portiragnes, Roubaix, Sophia Antipolis, Strasbourg, Villenave d'Ormon, Toulouse); Germany (Halle); Ghana (Accra, Brenu, Kumasi); Ireland (Dublin); Italy (Bari, Caldé, Milano, Pisa); Ivory Coast (Abidjan, Kapouébo); Netherlands (Amsterdam), Portugal (Batalha, Benedita, Évora, Leiria, Lisbon); Slovenia (Ljubljana / Laibach); Spain (Argentona, Barcelona, Malgrat de Mar, Santa Susanna); Switzerland (Älen, La-Tour-de-Peiltz); Togo (?); UK (Cambridge, London, Manchester, Plymouth) | Ibrahim Abubakar ("Oware Killer"), Kwaku Solomon, Trevor Simon, September Christian, Pumpkin Lewis | The most popular Mancala game; discipline of the Mindsports Olympiad (MSO) since 1997; International Oware Society (founded in 1995) based in London (UK).
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| Songo ewondo | Cameroon (Douala, Oyop), Gabon (Franceville, Libreville, Oyem); France (Lille) | Vivi Metou, Lévy Megne-Masseko, Meba Mefame, Narcisse Nguema | Masters are called "Nti"; more than 50 tournaments each year; promoted by the Gabonese Culture & Arts Ministry
|
| Kiothi | Kenya (Meru) | (?) | Last report in 1972; the current status of the Kiothi Club in Meru is unknown.
|
| Gebeta | Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) | (?) | Discipline of the annual traditional sports competition organized by the Addis Ababa Traditional Sports Federation.
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| Bao | Malawi (?); Kenya (Lamu); Tanzania (Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar); UK (Cambridge) | Abdulrahim Muhiddin Foum, Masaoud Hassan Ali ("Kijoumbe"), Ali Maulid Hussein ("Maulidi") | 16 member clubs of the Chama cha Bao ("Bao Society") on Zanzibar; discipline of the Mindsports Olympiad (MSO) in 2002; masters are called Fundi (about 10 on Zanzibar).
|
| Omweso | Uganda (Kampala); UK (Cambridge, London) | Hudson Kyagaba, Mwodha Fredrick, Twaha Tinkamanyire | Discipline of the Mindsports Olympiad (MSO) in 2000-2003; National Game of Uganda; International Omweso Society in London (UK).
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| Kiela | Angola (Luanda) | (?) | Promoted by Bernardo Campos with the support of the Angolan government.
|
| Hus | Namibia (Windhuk) | (?) | Organized since 2002 by the Pan African Centre of Namibia (PACON) with the support of the Namibian President Sam Nujoma.
|
| Moruba | South Africa (Bolobedu, Polokwane, Sasekani, Tzaneen) | D. Shikwambam; Petrus Shibambu | Promoted by the South African Sports Commission (SASC) since 2003.
|
| Hawalis | Oman (Masqat) | Dad Mohd | Clubs in Ruwa, Mutrah, and Seeb.
|
| Toğız qumalaq | Czech Republic (Prague); Kazakhstan (Aktau, Aktobe, Almaty, Arys, Astana, Kostanai, Kyzylorda, Pavlodar, Shymkent, Stepnogorsk, Taldykorgan, Taraz); Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek, Cholpan-Ata); Russia (Altay, Khakassia, Chelyabinsk, Tuva, Tatarstan); UK (London); Uzbekistan (Karakalpakia) | H. Eleusinov, A. Nursejtov, Asel Dalieva, E. Kudaybergenova, Talgat Toktybayev | More than 30 toğız qumalaq masters; over 20 national and international tournaments in Central Asia; discipline of the Mindsports Olympiad (MSO) 2006.
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| Congkak | France (Paris); Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Terengganu, Pekan, Seremban) | (?) | Mostly for children.
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| Sungka | Philippines (Davao, Manila); South Africa (Pretoria); Taiwan (Taipei); UK (London); USA (Dallas TX) | (?) | Promotes Filipino identity in migrant communities.
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| Kalah | Germany (Bayreuth, Dresden, Hamburg, Pfünz); USA (Kenai AL, Bakersfield CA, Pleasanton CA, San Francisco CA, Denver CO, Coventry CT, Brandon FL, Miami FL, Port St. Joe FL, Wilton Manors FL, Ames IA, Champaign IL, Glenview IL, Lansing IL, Brownsburg IN, Manhattan KS, Bedford MA, Beverly MA, Holbrook MA, Wareham MA, Westminster MD, Fort Leonard Wood MO, Peculiar MO, Missoula MT, Fort Bragg NC, Grand Island NE, Millville NJ, Long Island NY, Boiling Springs NC, Pepper Pike OH, Gresham OR, Philadelphia PA, Pittsburgh PA, Memphis TN, Arlington TX, Freeport TX, Lake Jackson TX, Newport News VA, Federal Way WA) | (?) | Mostly played by children and computer scientists.
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