drwjkirkpatrick-web/bao-la-kiswahili

Bao la Kiswahili — the most complex mancala game, with 63 AI and utility modules in Python # Bao la Kiswahili — The Magnum Opus **The most complex mancala game in existence, implemented in Python with 60+ AI and utility modules.** --- ## The Kenya Board Game Series This is the fourth and final entry in a progressive series teaching students ages 10–17 how to code AI for mancala games: | Game | Difficulty | Board | Language | Repo | |------|-----------|-------|----------|------| | **Shisima** | ★☆☆☆☆ | Triangle, 3 pieces | HTML/JS | shisima-game-lesson | | **Giuthi** | ★★☆☆☆ | 2×8, relay sowing | HTML/JS | giuthi-ai-explorer | | **Kiothi** | ★★★☆☆ | 2×10, nki, chain captures | HTML/JS | kiothi-mancala-lesson | | **Bao la Kiswahili** | ★★★★★ | 4×8, two phases, nyumba, kichwa | **Python** | **This repo** | ## What is Bao la Kiswahili? Bao la Kiswahili ("board of the Swahili people") is the most sophisticated mancala game ever devised. Played in Zanzibar and coastal Tanzania, it features: - **4×8 board** (32 pits) with 64 seeds - **Two phases**: *namua* (seed placement from hand) and *mtaji* (sowing from board) - **Nyumba** (house): a special pit with 6+ seeds that can be "taxed" or enter *safari* mode - **Kichwa** (head): directional sowing rules from board edges - **Marker pits**: inner-row pits facing non-empty opponent pits - **Complex captures**: capturing requires crossing from your row to the opponent's row, with directional constraints - **Takasia**: restricted pits that cannot be sown from Bao is considered a thinking game of the highest order — grandmasters in Zanzibar are held in the same esteem as chess grandmasters elsewhere. ## Project Structure ``` bao-la-kiswahili/ ├── bao/ │ ├── config.py # Constants (rows, cols, player positions) │ ├── board.py # GameState, BaoBoard, Move, MoveResult │ ├── engine.py # Rule engine: moves, captures, sowing, game over │ ├── cli.py # Command-line interface │ ├── ai/ # 34 AI strategy modules │ │ ├── base.py # BaoAI abstract …