How to play Mancala (Kalah): rules and strategy
Mancala is a family of games played by sowing stones round a board. The most common version in the West is Kalah, which is the one in Mancala. It takes a minute to learn.
The board
Each player has six pits in a row and one big pit at the end, called a store. At the start every small pit holds four stones (or three, in a shorter game). You sit with your pits in front of you, and your store is on your right.
How a turn works
- Pick up all the stones from one of your pits.
- Drop them one at a time into the next pits going round the board, starting with the pit after the one you emptied. You skip your opponent's store but not your own.
- If your last stone lands in your store, you take another turn.
- 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 and put them all in your store.
How the game ends
When all six pits on one side are empty, the game ends. The other player keeps the stones left on their side and puts them in their store. The player with the most stones in their store wins.
Strategy
- Look for extra turns. A pit that has as many stones as its distance from your store gives a free turn. Chain them when you can.
- Set up captures. Keep an empty pit on your side opposite a pit full of your opponent's stones.
- Keep stones on your side. Late in the game, stones in your pits near the store are a reserve you can use while your opponent runs out of moves.
- Watch your opponent too. Block their extra turns and captures by changing the number of stones in their path.
Play it
Choose Easy to learn, Medium for a fair game and Hard for a real test. Use Hint if you are stuck, and pass the phone for a two-player game. If you enjoy this, try Reversi Duel, Mill Master and Checkers.
