How to Play Mancala: Rules, Captures and Strategy

Mancala looks simple: a board with two rows of pits, a handful of seeds, and a store at each end. The rules take a minute to learn, but counting a move or two ahead is what wins. This page explains Kalah, the version of mancala most sets use, with the game above so you can play along.

The board and setup

The board has two rows of six small pits, one row for each player, and a large store at each end. Your pits are the row nearest you, and your store is the one on your right. On a narrow phone the board above turns sideways, but the rules are the same: you always sow towards your own store.

Put four seeds in each of the 12 small pits, 48 in all. Both stores start empty. Real sets use stones, beads or seeds; they are all the same, and only the number in each pit matters.

How to take a turn

1. Choose one of the six pits on your side that has seeds in it.
2. Pick up every seed in that pit.
3. Moving counter-clockwise, drop one seed into each pit that follows: along your row, into your own store, and on along your opponent’s row.
4. Skip your opponent’s store. If you have enough seeds to go all the way round, keep sowing past the pit you started from.

This is called sowing. Where your last seed lands decides what happens next.

Extra turns

If the last seed lands in your own store, you take another turn. There is no limit, so a well-planned move can chain three or four turns in a row. A pit earns an extra turn when it holds exactly as many seeds as it is far from your store: one seed in the pit next to the store, two seeds in the pit two away, and so on.

Captures

If the last seed lands in an empty pit on your side, look directly across the board:

• If the opposite pit has seeds, you capture them. Put them, together with your last seed, into your store.
• If the opposite pit is empty, nothing happens and your turn ends.

Captures only happen on your own side. A last seed landing in an empty pit on your opponent’s side just stays there.

How the game ends

The game ends as soon as all six pits on one side are empty, whoever’s turn it is. The player who still has seeds moves them into their own store. Count both stores: the bigger one wins. With 48 seeds, 24 each is a draw.

A strong opening move

At the start every pit holds four seeds, so the third pit from your left, four steps from your store, ends exactly in your store. Playing it first gives you a free extra turn straight away, which is why it is the most common opening. After that, no other pit lands exactly in your store, so your second move is a real choice: look for one that sets up a capture or keeps seeds away from your opponent.

Strategy that wins

• Play extra turns from the store outwards. If two pits both reach your store, play the one nearer to the store first, so the other one still lands right.
• Count before every move. Look at where your last seed will land: your store, an empty pit with seeds across it, or somewhere that gives your opponent a capture.
• Watch your empty pits. An empty pit on your side, opposite a big pile, is a capture waiting to happen. An empty pit on your opponent’s side, opposite one of your big piles, is a danger.
• Hoard near the end. Seeds in your pits when your opponent runs out are yours. A big pile in your last pit can decide a close game.
• Run your opponent out of moves. When their side is nearly empty, avoid sowing seeds across to them and let them finish the game for you.

Practise against the computer

The game above uses exactly these rules and shows how many seeds each pit holds, so you can count every move. Start on Easy to get used to sowing, move up to Medium, which hunts for extra turns and captures, and try Hard when you want a real opponent. Choose 2 Players to teach a friend on one screen, or open the full Mancala game page.