Turn:
Rules (simple variant): Move a bead to an adjacent intersection (orthogonal or diagonal) along the lines. Capture by jumping over an adjacent enemy into an empty point beyond; multiple jumps are allowed in one turn. If Force captures is on, you must capture when able. Win by leaving the opponent with fewer than 2 beads or no legal moves.
Tips
Tap/click a bead to see its legal moves. Green circles = simple moves; orange rings = capture jumps.
Tap the same bead to cancel.
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By Noyon Rahman · Updated August 2026 · Reviewed for accuracy against the live game
Bead 16, known in Bengali as Sholo Guti, or sixteen pieces, is a traditional South Asian board game still played in village courtyards across Bangladesh and eastern India, where the board is often scratched into the earth and the pieces are pebbles. It belongs to the same family as checkers and the old game of alquerque: sixteen beads per player sit on the intersections of a 5x5 lattice, and you capture the enemy by jumping over their pieces. The player who leaves the opponent with fewer than two beads, or no legal move, wins. This browser version keeps the classic rules and lights up every legal move, with an optional Force captures toggle for the strict traditional rule.
Red holds the top half of the board and Blue the bottom, each starting with sixteen beads on the intersection points. On your turn, click one of your beads: green circles mark empty neighbouring points you may step to along the lines, straight or diagonal, while orange rings mark capture jumps. To capture, hop your bead over an adjacent enemy into the empty point beyond and lift the jumped piece off the board. If that landing offers another jump, you must keep capturing with the same bead. With Force captures ticked, you must take a capture whenever one is available. You win by leaving your opponent with fewer than two beads or no legal moves.
Sholo Guti is a traditional game of Bangladesh and eastern India, closely related to the Sri Lankan game Sixteen Soldiers and to alquerque. Players traditionally drew the board on the ground and used stones or shells for their sixteen beads.
With the box ticked, you must take a capture whenever one is available, mirroring the strict traditional rule. Untick it and captures become optional, which makes the game gentler for beginners who are still learning how jumps and chains work.
You win when your opponent has fewer than two beads left or no legal move on their turn. Captures are the only way to remove beads, so every jump you complete moves you measurably closer to victory.
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