Mancala

Sow stones around the pockets and collect more in your store than your opponent.

Getting a board

Craft a Mancala board and fit it into a Small Game Table. Place matching Game Chairs facing the table, then take a seat.

Materials

1 ×Clay ball
7 ×Any planks
1 ×Brown wool

How to play

Open the fitted board to make your moves. How to play in the side tray gives you the same lessons with illustrations inside the game.

Fill your big pocket

Your side: Your six small pockets are below. Your big pocket is on the right. — **Your side**
Your six small pockets are below. Your big pocket is on the right.

Take turns: Pick a small pocket on your side. Take ALL its stones. — **Take turns**
Pick a small pocket on your side. Take ALL its stones.

Drop one stone in each pocket

Pick this pocket: Start with four stones. Move to the right along your row. — **Pick this pocket**
Start with four stones. Move to the right along your row.

Four stones dropped: One stone went into each of the next four pockets. — **Four stones dropped**
One stone went into each of the next four pockets.

Go around the board

Your big pocket counts: Drop one in your big pocket, then go left along the top row. — **Your big pocket counts**
Drop one in your big pocket, then go left along the top row.

Skip their big pocket: At the far left, skip their big pocket. Go back to your row. — **Skip their big pocket**
At the far left, skip their big pocket. Go back to your row.

Finish here to play again

Pick the third pocket: Four stones reach your big pocket exactly. — **Pick the third pocket**
Four stones reach your big pocket exactly.

Another turn!: The LAST stone landed in your big pocket. You go again. — **Another turn!**
The LAST stone landed in your big pocket. You go again.

An empty pocket can catch stones

Last stone lands here: This pocket is empty. The pocket opposite has stones. — **Last stone lands here**
This pocket is empty. The pocket opposite has stones.

Take both: Your last stone AND the opposite stones go into your big pocket. — **Take both**
Your last stone AND the opposite stones go into your big pocket.

One empty row ends the game

Only one stone left: Play it. Your row will be empty. — **Only one stone left**
Play it. Your row will be empty.

Collect and count: Each player keeps stones on their side. Most stones wins; equal is a draw. — **Collect and count**
Each player keeps stones on their side. Most stones wins; equal is a draw.

Rules in more detail

Kalah capture and the closing sweep

Four stones in each of six pits per side makes forty-eight altogether. Sowing skips the opponent’s store. Capture only when the final stone lands in an empty own pit with stones in the opposite pit; the landing stone is captured too. When either side’s six pits become empty, the other side sweeps its remaining pit stones into its own store. Equal stores of twenty-four produce a draw.

Keep playing

Use Rematch after the result to play again. To pause an unfinished match, the table owner can remove and keep its board.

See seats and solo play for multiplayer and Play alone, or item stakes if you want to agree on a pot.