Mancala

Sow the seeds. Fill your store.

How to play

Mancala is played here as Kalah: two rows of six pits, a store at each end and four seeds in every pit. On your turn pick a pit on your side and sow its seeds one at a time, anticlockwise, into the following pits and your own store, skipping your opponent’s store. A last seed in your store earns another turn. A last seed in an empty pit on your side captures the seeds opposite, together with that seed. When one side runs out of seeds, the other player keeps what is left on their side. The larger store wins.

Click or tap one of your pits to sow it. Arrow keys step through your playable pits; Enter sows.

Full Mancala rules and questions →

Questions

Why do I get another turn in Mancala?

When your last seed lands in your own store you move again. Counting seeds so that a pit ends exactly in your store is the main way to chain moves.

Can a game of Mancala end in a draw?

Yes. There are 48 seeds, so the stores can finish 24 to 24. That is a draw.

Can I play Mancala against a computer?

Yes — Play against computer needs no opponent, offers Easy, Normal and Hard levels, and supports undo.

Strategy guide

Mancala Strategy: Extra Turns and Captures — Mancala (Kalah) strategy: count pits that end in your store, chain extra turns from the store outward, set up and guard captures, and play the endgame.