Pick a pit on your side and sow its seeds one by one, anticlockwise, into the next pits and your store. The bigger store wins.
Each player owns the row of six pits nearest them and the store at their right. On your turn you pick up every seed from one of your pits and drop them one at a time into the pits that follow, anticlockwise, adding one to your own store as you pass it and skipping your opponent’s store.
What to aim for
The winner is the player with more seeds in their store when the game ends (how a game ends). A last seed that lands exactly in your store means another turn, and a last seed in an empty pit of yours can capture your opponent’s seeds.
Once the moves feel natural, the Mancala strategy guide explains how to count ahead and chain turns.