How to play Mancala
Mancala is played by two players on a board with two rows of six pits and a store at each end. Every pit starts with four seeds. These are the rules used on Turnpan.
This game uses Kalah rules, the most widespread version of Mancala.
The board
You own the row of six pits nearest to you and the store at the right-hand end of the board. You only play from your own pits, which are numbered 1 to 6 from your left. Who moves first is set when the game starts.
Sowing
On your turn, pick up all the seeds from one of your pits and drop them one by one into the following pits, moving counter-clockwise: along your row toward your store, then back along your opponent's row. You drop a seed in your own store each time you pass it, but never in your opponent's store.
Going again
If your last seed lands in your own store, you move again. This can happen several turns in a row.
Capturing
If your last seed lands in an empty pit on your own side and the pit across from it holds seeds, you capture: that seed and all the seeds across from it go into your store. If the pit across is empty, nothing is captured.
The end of the game
The game ends as soon as one side has no seeds left in its pits. Each player keeps the seeds still in their own pits and adds them to their own store. The player with more seeds in their store wins, and 24 each is a draw.
The clock
Timed games use 3+2 or 5+5: three or five minutes each, with two or five seconds added after every move. Bot games can also be played without a clock.
Try it yourself
Tap the glowing pit.
Three tips for beginners
- Look for a pit whose seed count equals its distance to your store: its last seed lands in the store and you go again.
- Watch your empty pits. A seed landing in one captures the pit across from it, and your opponent can use their empty pits the same way.
- Seeds left in your pits at the end still count for you, so there is no need to rush them all into your store.