The Hidden Paw

5) Game - Solitaire Mancala

This is a solitaire version of the African game of Mancala or Wari. Place five bowls a table in a circle. Start with 2 counters in each of the bowls marked 1 to 4 leaving bowl 5 empty.
The purpose of the game is to follow "pick counters and distribute them" rules to get all counters into bowl 


Move the counters according to these rules:
1) Select any bowl from 1 to 4. Remove all its counters. Drop the counters one by one into the next bowls with higher numbers (or counterclockwise). (Suppose bowl 2 has 4 counters, drop one in bowl 3, one in bowl 4, one in bowl 5 and one in bowl 1.
2) To continue the game, you need to check the status of the last bowl you dropped a counter in. If it happens to have counters in it after your move, remove them and distribute them as in step 1. If not, you have lost the game.
3) If the last counter goes into bowl 5, select any other bowl and use its contents for redistribution. The game is over when you place all counters or counters into bowl 5.

There is no solution for this game. I have not read anywhere where a strategy is described to allow you to finish in a set of minimal moves. 

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