Mancala
Sow seeds around the ancient board, snag extra turns and captures, collect the most to win. Play the AI or a friend.
Sow seeds around the ancient board, snag extra turns and captures, collect the most to win. Play the AI or a friend.
Learn the rules of Mancala and the sowing tactics that win, then play the board above against the computer.
Collect more seeds in your store than your opponent. Each player owns the six pits on their side and the large store to their right.
Landing your last seed in your store earns another move. Chaining several extra turns in a row can swing the game, so count the pits before you commit.
Leaving a pit empty on your side lets you capture the opposite pit later when you drop a single seed into it. Watch the pits opposite your empty ones.
A pit loaded with many seeds will wrap around the board. Track where those long sows will end so you are not handing your opponent a capture or an extra turn.
Pick up all the seeds from one of your pits and sow them one by one counter-clockwise, dropping one into your store as you pass but skipping your opponent's store. If your last seed lands in your store you move again, and if it lands in an empty pit on your side you capture the opposite pit. The most seeds wins.
Score more seeds in your store than your opponent by the time one side empties. The main tools are earning extra turns by ending in your store and capturing your opponent's seeds by landing your last seed in an empty pit on your side.
If the last seed you sow on your turn lands in your own store, you immediately take another turn. Planning moves that end in your store, sometimes several in a row, is one of the strongest tactics in the game.
When the last seed of your sow lands in an empty pit on your own side, you capture that seed and every seed in the pit directly opposite it, moving them all to your store. Setting up empty pits to trigger captures is a key strategy.