Mancala is one of the oldest families of board games, played here with the popular Kalah rules. Scoop up all the seeds from one of your six pits and sow them one at a time around the board. Land your last seed in your store to move again, or in an empty pit on your side to capture the seeds opposite. When one side runs out, the game ends — the bigger store wins. Play the computer on three levels or a friend on the same device.
How to play Mancala
Goal: Collect more seeds in your store (the big pit on your right) than your opponent.
Keyboard & mouse
- Click one of your pits (bottom row) to sow it
- Number keys 1–6 sow your pits from the left
- Left/Right arrows choose a pit, Enter or Space sows
- P or Escape to pause
Phone & tablet
- Tap one of your pits on the bottom row
- Options: computer level, friend mode and seeds per pit
Rules
- Pick up all the seeds in one of your pits and sow them one by one anticlockwise — into your store, but never your opponent’s.
- If your last seed lands in your store, you move again.
- If your last seed lands in an empty pit on your side and the pit opposite has seeds, you capture both into your store.
- When either player’s six pits are empty, each side banks its remaining seeds and the bigger store wins.
- Against the computer, wins score 100 + 3 per seed of margin, multiplied by the level.
Tips and strategy
- Count seeds: a pit with exactly enough seeds to reach your store gives a free move — play the one closest to the store first.
- Chain several extra turns together before making a normal move.
- Watch for empty pits on your opponent’s side facing your full pits — those are capture threats.
- Hoarding seeds in your rightmost pit keeps options open late in the game.
