How to Play Mancala: Rules, Setup and 5 Tips to Win

Mancala is a two-player counting game. You pick up all the stones from one of your pits and drop them one at a time into the pits that follow, trying to collect as many as you can in your own store. Land your last stone in your store and you move again; land it in an empty pit on your side and you capture stones from your opponent. When one side of the board runs out of stones, the player with the most stones in their store wins.

The rules below are for Kalah, the version most people in the US and Europe mean when they say “Mancala” and the one sold in most boxed sets. You can follow along in Starfield Mancala Kalah, a free browser version that uses stars instead of stones.

Quick answers

How many stones go in each pit?

Four. The standard game starts with 4 stones in each of the 12 small pits, 48 stones in total, and both stores empty. Some sets suggest 3 stones per pit for a shorter game or 5 to 6 for a longer one.

Which way do you move in Mancala?

Counter-clockwise. Stones travel along your row towards your store, then around into your opponent’s row.

Do you put stones in your opponent’s store?

No. You drop a stone into your own store when you pass it, but you always skip your opponent’s store.

How do you win Mancala?

Have more stones in your store than your opponent when the game ends. The game ends as soon as all six pits on one side are empty.

The board and setup

A Mancala board has two rows of six small pits and a large store at each end. Sit facing your opponent:

• The six pits nearest you are yours.
• Your store is the big pit on your right. Your opponent’s store is on your left.
• Put 4 stones in each small pit. Leave both stores empty.

Decide who goes first. Moving first is a small advantage, so players often alternate who starts each game.

How a turn works

1. Pick up every stone from one of your six pits. You can’t choose an empty pit.
2. Sow them counter-clockwise, one stone per pit, starting with the pit just after the one you emptied.
3. Drop one in your store when you reach it, then carry on into your opponent’s row if you still have stones.
4. Skip your opponent’s store. A big pile can go all the way around the board and drop stones back into your own row, including the pit you started from.

Then check where your last stone landed. That one stone decides whether anything special happens.

Extra turns

If your last stone lands in your own store, you take another turn straight away. Chaining extra turns is the single most important skill in Mancala, and it is all counting: a pit with exactly as many stones as the number of steps to your store will end in your store.

Number your pits 1 to 6 from left to right, so pit 6 sits next to your store. Then:

• Pit 6 with 1 stone lands in the store.
• Pit 5 with 2 stones lands in the store.
• Pit 4 with 3 stones lands in the store, and so on.

Captures

If your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side, you capture. Take that stone plus every stone in your opponent’s pit directly opposite, and put them all in your store.

Rules vary a little between sets. In some, a capture only counts if the opposite pit has stones in it. Agree on the rule before you start, or check the rules screen of the version you play.

How the game ends

The game ends when all six pits on one side are empty. The player who still has stones on their side moves them into their own store. Count the stores: the one with more stones wins, and an equal count is a tie.

5 tips to win more games

1. Take extra turns from the pit nearest your store first. Playing pit 6 with 1 stone doesn’t disturb your other pits, so a pit 5 with 2 stones still lands in your store afterwards. Start the other way round and the first move often spoils the second.
2. Count before every move. For each pit, work out where the last stone lands. It takes a few seconds and is the whole game. This is why Mancala is such good practice for number sense.
3. Watch your opponent’s empty pits. Before you move, look for empty pits on their side that one of their pits could land in. If the pit opposite holds a big pile of your stones, move or protect it.
4. Know the 13-stone trick. A pit with exactly 13 stones goes all the way around the board, drops one in your store on the way and lands its last stone back in the pit it started from, which is empty at that moment. That is a capture of everything in the pit opposite.
5. Think about the ending. When the board starts to empty, the stones left on each side go to that side’s owner. If you are ahead, keeping stones on your side and making your opponent run out of moves can lock in the win.

Is Mancala a game of luck?

No. There are no dice or cards, so every result comes from the moves both players choose. Computer analysis has shown that in standard Kalah with four stones per pit, the player who moves first can force a win with perfect play. For human players the game stays wide open, because nobody calculates every line.

Where Mancala comes from

Mancala is not one game but a large family of “sowing” games played for centuries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, under names such as Oware, Bao and Congkak. Many use different board sizes and capture rules. Kalah is a simpler modern member of the family, which is why it became the version most people learn first.

Play Mancala online

The quickest way to learn is to play a few games and count every move out loud. Starfield Mancala Kalah follows the rules on this page, runs free in the browser and works on a phone held upright. If you enjoy counting games, the classic board games page has checkers, backgammon, dominoes and more, and our guide on how to play checkers is a good next step.