How to play Mancala

Mancala is one of the oldest board games in the world, played with seeds or stones in rows of little pits. This is the version most people in America grew up with: a board of two rows of six pits, with a long store at each end. Each player owns the six pits on their side and the store to their right. Every pit starts with 4 seeds, 48 in all. The player with more seeds in their store at the end wins.

Sowing

• On your turn, pick one of your pits that has seeds in it. Tap it and all of its seeds are scooped up.
• The seeds are dropped one at a time into the next pits, going counterclockwise: along your row, into your store, then along your opponent's row.
• Your opponent's store is skipped. With a big pile you can go all the way around the board and back to your own side.
• On a computer, hover over a pit to see where its last seed will land. On a phone, the first tap shows it and the second tap sows.

Go again

If your last seed lands in your own store, you take another turn right away. A pit with exactly the right number of seeds to reach your store is worth looking for at every turn, and you can chain several of these in a row.

Capturing

If your last seed lands in an empty pit on your side, and the pit right across from it has seeds, you capture: that last seed and everything in the pit across go into your store. If the pit across is empty, nothing happens and your turn simply ends.

The end of the game

The game ends as soon as all six pits on one side are empty. Each player then moves the seeds still in their own pits into their own store. Count the stores: the bigger one wins, and the same count is a tie. With 48 seeds, 25 is a sure win.

Tips

1. Look for a free turn first. Count the seeds in each pit against the distance to your store. If one lands exactly, play it before anything else.
2. Play from the right. Pits near your store reach it with fewer seeds, so empty them early and they fill up again as you play.
3. Mind the pits across. Before you move, check whether your opponent can land in one of their empty pits facing a big pile of yours.
4. Build a pile near your store. Seeds stacked in your last pits are hard for your opponent to capture, and they are yours if the game ends.
5. Count near the end. When a side is almost empty, count both stores and both rows. Sometimes the best move is to empty your own side and end the game.

Today's board

The Daily Board starts everyone with the same seeds, moved around from the usual four in each pit. Both sides are mirror images, so it is fair. You move first against the same computer player as everyone else. The more seeds you store, the better, and you can see how you compare. Your first try of the day is the one that counts.

Questions

Does the first pit I sow from get a seed when I go all the way around? Yes. In this version the seeds keep going into every pit except your opponent's store, including the pit you started from.

Can I capture with a seed that lands on my opponent's side? No. Captures only happen in an empty pit on your own side.

Who moves first? You do, unless you change it in Settings. Moving first is a real advantage, so let the computer start when you want a harder game.

Can I play with 3 or 6 seeds in each pit? Yes, in Settings. Three makes a quick game, six a long one with bigger captures.

How strong is the computer? Easy often picks a pit at random. Normal looks a few moves ahead. Sharp looks much deeper and rarely misses a free turn or a capture.

Can two people play on one phone? Yes. Choose "Two on one device", sit across from each other and pass the phone.

Do I need an account? No. Your game is saved in this browser, so you can close the page and come back.