Mancala
How to play Mancala
Mancala is a family of "count and capture" board games played for thousands of years across Africa and Asia. This version uses the Kalah rules that most Mancala boards sold in the US come with.
The board
Each player has a row of six small pits and a large store (the mancala) on their right. Every pit starts with four seeds (stones, beads or marbles). Your pits are the bottom row and your store is on the right.
Taking a turn
- Pick up all the seeds from one of your pits.
- Moving counterclockwise, drop one seed in each following pit, including your own store, but skipping your opponent's store.
- Extra turn: if the last seed lands in your store, play again.
- Capture: if the last seed lands in an empty pit on your side and the pit across has seeds, take both your seed and all the seeds across and put them in your store.
End of the game
When all six pits on one side are empty, the game ends. The other player moves any seeds left on their side into their store. The player with more seeds in their store wins.
Mancala strategy
- Chain extra turns. A pit with exactly the right number of seeds to reach your store is a free move. Start with the one closest to your store so the others still line up.
- Hoard in your rightmost pit late in the game. Seeds there are hard for your opponent to capture and easy to move into your store.
- Watch for empty pits across from big piles, on both sides of the board.
- Count before the end. If you already have more than half the seeds (25 of 48), you can't lose.
Questions
How do you win at Mancala?
Collect more seeds in your store than your opponent. The game ends when all six pits on one side are empty; the other player puts their remaining seeds in their own store.
What happens if your last seed lands in your store?
You take another turn right away. Planning several of these in a row is the key to strong play.
How does capturing work in Mancala?
If your last seed lands in an empty pit on your side, you capture that seed and all the seeds in the pit directly across, and put them in your store.
How many seeds go in each pit?
Four is standard. Three makes a shorter game, while five or six make longer games with bigger captures.