How to Play Mancala
Mancala is one of the oldest games in the world. Two rows of pits, a store at each end, and a handful of stones that you sow around the board one at a time.
The version here is Kalah, the one most people learn. Collect more stones in your store than your opponent and you win.
Play MancalaHow to play
- Pick up every stone from one of the pits on your side.
- Drop them one at a time into each pit going anticlockwise, including your own store but skipping your opponent's.
- If your last stone lands in your own store, you take another turn.
- If your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side, you capture that stone and everything in the pit opposite.
- When one player's pits are empty the other sweeps their remaining stones into their store, and the larger store wins.
Strategy
Chain your free turns. Finding the move that ends in your store, then another, then another, can take a whole sequence before your opponent plays at all.
Keep an empty pit on your side late in the game. It sets up a capture the moment a stone lands in it.
Watch what your move hands over. Sowing into your opponent's pits feeds them, so count how far each move reaches before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best first move in Mancala?
On a standard Kalah board, the pit that lands your last stone exactly in your store, which gives you an immediate second turn.
Do you skip the opponent's store?
Yes. You sow into your own store but never into theirs.
How does a Mancala game end?
When one side's six pits are empty. The other player takes all remaining stones on their side, and whoever has more in their store wins.