About Mancala
Mancala is one of the oldest board games in the world: a wooden board of little pits, a handful of stones, and a race to fill your store. This is Kalah, the version most people grow up with: six pits a side, four stones in each, sow them round the board, earn free turns and capture your opponent’s stones.
Also called: kalah, mancala game, sowing game.
How to play Mancala
- The six pits nearest you are yours, and so is the big store on your right. Your opponent owns the far row and the store on the left. Each pit starts with four stones.
- On your turn, tap one of your pits that has stones. You pick up all its stones and sow them one at a time into the following pits, counter-clockwise (to the right along your row, then up into your store, then along the far row).
- You drop a stone in your own store as you pass it, but you skip your opponent’s store.
- Free turn: if your last stone lands in your own store, you move again.
- Capture: if your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side and the pit directly opposite has stones, you take that stone and all the opposite stones into your store.
- The game ends as soon as either row is empty. Every stone left on the board goes to the store on its own side, and whoever has more stones in their store wins.
Rules
- Kalah rules with 6 pits a side and 4 stones per pit: 48 stones in all, so 25 wins.
- A pit with 13 or more stones sows all the way round and can land back in the pit it started from, which is then an empty pit on your side and can capture.
- No capture is made if the opposite pit is empty: your last stone simply stays where it landed.
- The game ends when either side’s six pits are empty, whoever’s turn it is. The remaining stones go to the side they sit on.
- Against the computer you choose to move first or second; with a friend, a rematch swaps who starts. Undo against the computer takes back your move and the computer’s replies.
Mancala tips and strategy
- Count to the store. A pit whose stone count equals its distance from your store (1 in the pit next to it, 2 in the next, and so on) gives a free turn. Play those first, starting with the one nearest the store, so one free turn doesn’t spoil another.
- Watch your empty pits. An empty pit on your side, facing a full pit, is a capture waiting for the right sowing. An empty pit on your opponent’s side, facing a full pit of yours, is a danger.
- A big pile is a big target: if your opponent can land a last stone in the empty pit opposite it, they take the lot. Sowing a big pile, though, feeds stones to your opponent’s side, so pick your moment.
- Hoarding stones in a pit far from your store can win the endgame: when the other side runs dry, everything on your side is yours.
- Count stones. With 48 in play, 25 in your store means the game is won, however the rest falls.
Mancala questions
Which direction do the stones go?
Counter-clockwise: along your row towards your store on the right, into your store, then along your opponent’s row from their right to their left, and round again. You skip your opponent’s store.
What happens when one side runs out of stones?
The game ends immediately. Each player adds the stones still in their own pits to their store, and the player with more stones in their store wins. Equal stores (24–24) is a draw.
Do I capture if my last stone lands in an empty pit on the other side?
No. Captures only happen in an empty pit on your own side, and only if the pit opposite has stones in it.
How strong is the Hard computer?
Hard looks at least ten moves ahead (counting every free turn), and deeper when there is time, so it rarely misses a capture or a chain of free turns. Easy plays mostly by feel and is a good first opponent.
Is my game saved?
Yes. The game in progress is saved in your browser after every move, so a reload picks up where you left off, and your wins, losses and draws are kept for each computer level.
Is Mancala free to play?
Yes. Mancala on Kultured Arcade is completely free: no download, no account and nothing to buy. It runs in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
Can I play Mancala on my phone?
Yes. The game fits your screen and works with touch as well as a mouse and keyboard, on iPhone, Android, tablets and computers.
Can I play Mancala online with a friend?
Yes. Open the Online tab and choose Create invite, then send the link or the six-character code. The game starts as soon as your friend opens it. Quick match pairs you with someone who is waiting.