How to Play Mancala

Mancala is a classic two-player game of counting, strategy, and planning. The goal is to collect more stones in your store than your opponent by the end of the game.

What you’ll need

• A Mancala board with 6 pits per side and a store at each end
• 48 stones (or playing pieces)
• 2 players

Set up

• Place the board between the two players so each has 6 pits on their side.
• Place 4 stones in each pit.
• The larger pit on your right is your store.

Each player controls the six pits on their side of the board.

Objective

Collect more stones in your store than your opponent.

Taking a turn

1. Choose one of the pits on your side of the board.
2. Pick up all the stones from that pit.
3. Moving counterclockwise, drop one stone into each pit you pass — including your own store.
4. Skip your opponent’s store when placing stones.

Extra turns

If your last stone lands in your own store, you take another turn.

Capturing stones

If your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side of the board, and the opposite pit on your opponent’s side contains stones:

• Capture the stone you just placed
• Capture all stones from the opposite pit
• Place all captured stones into your store

Ending the game

The game ends when one player’s six pits are empty.

The other player collects all remaining stones from their side of the board and places them into their store.

Winning the game

The player with the most stones in their store wins.