Pebble Pits
Play Pebble Pits now · free, no download, no sign-up
Pebble Pits brings the ancient sowing game, played with seeds or stones in rows of hollows across Africa and Asia, to a carved wooden board in your browser. You scoop up all the pebbles from one pit and sow them one by one around the board, aiming to fill your store and capture your rival's pebbles.
It is calm to look at but sharp to play. Each turn is a small calculation, and a well-chosen pit can chain extra turns or empty half the opponent's side. It suits families, puzzle fans and anyone who likes simple pieces with deep play.
How to play
- Tap one of the pits on your side: its pebbles are sown one at a time, counter-clockwise around the board.
- In the six-pit store rules, if your last pebble lands in your own store, you take another turn.
- In the same rules, if your last pebble lands in an empty pit on your side, you capture the pebbles in the pit opposite.
- In the Pallanguzhi style from South India, after your last pebble you pick up the next pit and keep sowing; an empty pit next means you capture the pit after it.
- When the game ends, the player with the most pebbles in their store wins.
Controls
On a phone or tablet
Tap one of your pits to sow its pebbles. Each pebble drops with a soft click so you can follow the move.
On a computer
Click one of your pits with the mouse to sow it.
Game modes
Vs computer
Play against easy, medium or hard opponents that look ahead several moves in the background.
Two players
Sit across from a friend and take turns on one device.
Online
Open a private table and share its code or link with a friend who joins from their own device.
Puzzles and daily
Bank a target number of pebbles in a single turn by chaining extra turns, and try the daily challenge.
Tips
- Count the pebbles in a pit before sowing: knowing exactly where the last one lands is the whole game.
- Look for pits that end in your store first, since the extra turn can set up a second good move.
- Keep an eye on your empty pits facing a full enemy pit; they are capture chances.
- Do not leave a large pile opposite one of your rival's empty pits.
- In Pallanguzhi, relay sowing can travel far, so follow each move through rather than guessing.
About the game
Sowing games are among the oldest board games still played, with countless local versions. Pebble Pits offers two of them: the familiar six-pit game with stores at each end, and Pallanguzhi, a seven-pit South Indian style with relay sowing and pair captures.
On a phone the long board runs across the portrait screen with pits sized for a fingertip; on desktop the wooden board stretches out wide. Coins from wins unlock new boards and pebble sets.
Questions
- Is Pebble Pits free?
- Yes. It plays free in your browser.
- Which rules can I choose?
- The six-pit store rules and the South Indian Pallanguzhi style, both selectable on the title screen.
- Can two people play together?
- Yes, on one device or online at a private table with a code.
