Mancala
In Mancala you sow stones around the board, land in your own store and go again. Free, no install, no sign-up, one short round against the computer.
In Mancala, six pits and a store each. Take the stones from one of your pits and drop them one at a time around the board. Whoever collects more stones in their store wins.
about 19.5 KB
Works offline after the first visit. No install, no sign-up.
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How to play Mancala
What a move does
Pick one of your own pits that has stones in it. Take every stone out of it and drop one into each pit going anticlockwise, all the way around. You can only ever start from your own side.
Your opponent's store is skipped
Stones never go into the other player's store — when the sowing reaches it, it steps straight over. This is the rule most people miss, and it changes how far a move travels.
Landing in your store earns another turn
If the last stone you drop lands in your own store, you immediately move again. A pit holding exactly the right number of stones is therefore a double move, and that is where most of the play is.
Landing in your own empty pit takes the opposite pit
If your last stone lands in one of your own pits that was empty, you capture that stone plus everything in the pit directly opposite. Emptying a pit on purpose to catch a full one opposite is the standard way to take a big haul.
How the round ends
When one player's six pits are all empty, the other player sweeps whatever is left on their side into their own store, and the stores are compared. Your store count is your result.
The computer uses the same rules
It picks by looking at which pit would land in its store or set up a capture, and otherwise takes the fullest pit. It cannot make a move you would not be allowed to make.
Mancala Tips and Strategy
Sow into your store
Landing your last stone in your own store gives you another move immediately, so a pit that sows into the store is worth more than a fuller pit that does not. Count the stones in a pit before choosing, because the extra turn is where the large totals come from.
Empty a pit to capture
Landing your last stone in one of your own empty pits takes everything in the pit directly opposite, so deliberately emptying a pit can collect a large stack. Play small against a fat opposing pit rather than ignoring it.
Keep stones off your side
When one side is empty the other player sweeps up whatever is left on their half, so stones sitting back there are pure loss. Keep your pits moving and never let your own side empty while the opposing pits still hold a pile.
Mancala — Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the sowing skip a pit?
It skipped the computer's store. Stones never land there; the sowing steps over it and continues around.
Why do I get another turn?
Your last stone landed in your own store. That always earns another move, which is the main way to build a big total in one go.
How do I capture stones?
Land your last stone in one of your own pits that was empty. You then take that stone plus everything in the pit directly opposite.
Do I have to sow from my own side?
Yes. You can only start a move from one of your six pits, and only if it has at least one stone in it.
Does it need installing or an account?
No. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer and works offline after the first visit.
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