About Mancala (Kalah)
Mancala is one of the oldest known board games. In the popular Kalah variant each player has six pits and a store. You scoop up the seeds from one of your pits and "sow" them one by one into following pits, aiming to land in your store for an extra turn and to capture seeds from the opposite pit.
How to play
- Pick up all seeds from one of your pits.
- Sow them one per pit, counter-clockwise, skipping your opponent’s store.
- Landing your last seed in your own store grants another turn.
- Landing in an empty pit on your side captures the seeds opposite it.
Tips & strategy
- Chain extra turns by ending moves in your store.
- Set up captures by emptying a pit, then landing in it.
- Watch the pit that can reach your store in one sowing.
Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of Mancala?
Sow seeds counter-clockwise; land in your store for a free turn; land in an empty pit on your side to capture the opposite pit. Most seeds in your store wins.
Is Kalah the same as Mancala?
Kalah is the most common ruleset of the Mancala family of games.