Mancala is a Board Game that involves moving and capturing stones on a board with holes. Mancala Board Game is one of the world’s oldest and most widely played games. In Mancala, the player selects a circle on their side and collects the stones in that circle. Then, they drop one stone in each circle, moving counterclockwise (including the Store), until all the stones are used. The game finishes when one player has no more stones in their six circles.
In Mancala, players move their pieces between pits using “sowing.” The players must sow their pieces counter-clockwise, dropping one piece in each pit. Following some conditions, the players can also capture and store the opponent’s pieces in their mancala. The game ends when one player has no more pieces in their pits, and the player with the most pieces in their mancala wins.
Mancala Rules
Mancala Board Game is a game that belongs to a family of games called “sowing” or “count-and-capture” games. The word “mancala” comes from the Arabic word “naval,” which means “to move.” It has many other names, such as Kalah, Oware, Bao, Congkak, and Sungka, also known as the game.
Two players play the game on a board with two rows of holes called “pits” or “houses.” Each player owns one row of pits and a large hole, called a “store” or a “mancala,” at one end of the board. The game starts with several stones, seeds, beans, or shells, called “pieces” or “counters,” placed in each pit. The players take turns to move their pieces from one pit to another, following some rules. The game aims to capture more pieces than the opponent and store them in the mancala.
Components
- A mancala board is a wooden, metal, or plastic board with two rows of six pits and two stores at the ends. The board can also consist of clay, stone, or any other material that can hold the mancala pieces. Some boards have more or fewer pits, depending on the variation of the game.
- A set of pieces are small objects that can fit in the pits and the stores. The pieces can be stones, seeds, beans, shells, marbles, coins, or other materials. The number of pieces depends on the variation of the game but usually ranges from 36 to 48.
- A rulebook with instructions for the game and its variations.
Setup
- Put the board on a flat surface like a table or the floor. Make sure the long sides face the players and the stores are on the right side of each player.
- Distribute the pieces evenly among the pits, leaving the stores empty. The number of pieces in each pit depends on the variation of the game but usually ranges from three to six. For example, in the classic version of the game Kalah, each pit has four pieces at the start.
- Choose a player to go first by any fair method, such as tossing a coin, rolling a die, or playing rock-paper-scissors.
How to Play Mancala Board Game
- The first player chooses any pit on their side of the board and picks up all the pieces in that pit. The player then sows the pieces counter-clockwise, dropping one piece in each pit.
- The player can sow the pieces in any order if they follow the directions and drop one piece in each pit. The player can also skip the opponent’s mancala but not their mancala.
- The first player checks where the last piece lands. If the last piece lands in the player’s mancala, the player gets another turn and can repeat the same steps.
- If the last piece lands in an empty pit on the player’s side, the player captures that piece and all the pieces in the opposite pit on the opponent’s side and puts them in their mancala. If the last piece lands in any other pit, the turn ends, and the next player goes.
- The next player repeats the same steps, choosing any pit on their side of the board and sowing the pieces counterclockwise. The next player does the same as the previous player. They check where the last piece lands and follow the rules for another turn. They can capture pieces or end the turn.
- The game continues with the players taking turns to sow and capture pieces until one player has no more pieces in their pits. The other player then moves all the remaining pieces in their pits to their mancala.
- The player with the most pieces in their mancala wins the game. The game is a tie if both players have the same number of pieces in their mancala.
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FAQs
What are the stones on the Mancala board?
The stones are small objects that can fit the holes and the stores. The stones can be seeds, beans, shells, marbles, coins, or other materials. The number of stones depends on the variation of the game but usually ranges from 36 to 48.
How do you win Mancala?
You win the Mancala Board Game by being the last player with stones in your holes. When one player has no more stones in their holes, the game ends, and the other player moves all the remaining stones in their holes to their store. The player with the most stones in their store wins the game. The game is a tie if both players have the same number of stones in their store.
What are the variations of Mancala?
There are hundreds of variations of the Mancala, each with its own rules and unique gameplay. Some popular variants include Kalah, Bao, Oware, Congkak, and Sungka.
