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Games / Mancala

Mancala

The ancient sowing game, played with the Kalah rules. Pick up the stones from one of your pits and drop them one by one around the board. Land your last stone in your store for a bonus turn, or in an empty pit of yours to capture the stones opposite. Bank more stones than your opponent to win.

2 players, spectators welcome

Start a lobby

Starting stones

Open Mancala lobbies

How to play

  1. Two players sit down. Your six pits are on your side of the board, and your store is on your right.
  2. On your turn, pick one of your pits. Its stones are dropped one at a time, counter-clockwise, into the following pits. You skip your opponent's store.
  3. If your last stone lands in your own store, you take another turn.
  4. If your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side and the pit opposite has stones, you capture them and your last stone into your store.
  5. The game ends when one side has no stones. The other player banks everything left on their side. Most stones in the store wins.

Controls

Click or tap one of your pits
Sow the stones from that pit
Left and right arrow keys
Move between your pits
Enter or space
Sow the focused pit
1 to 6
Sow that pit, counted from your left