Which Mancala rules do you use?

Kalah-style rules: six pits a side, extra turn for ending in your store, and captures from empty pits.

Is Mancala a game of luck?

No — there's no dice or hidden information. It's pure strategy and counting.

What is the best first move in Mancala?

In four-stone Kalah, playing the third pit from the left ends in your store for a free turn — a strong start.

What happens when one side is empty?

The game ends and each player adds the stones on their own side to their store.

Is Mancala the same as Kalah?

Mancala is the whole family of games; Kalah is the version most people mean.

How do I play Mancala online with a friend?

Open Mancala on multiplayergames.app or in the Multiplayer Games app, choose Online and create a room. Send your friend the room code — they can join from a phone, tablet or computer, and iPhone, Android and web players can all play each other. It's free and you don't need an account.

Can I play Mancala 2 player on one phone?

Yes. Pick the local 2 player mode and pass the device between turns. It works offline in the app, and there's a computer opponent too if you're on your own.

How to Play Mancala

2 players
5–10 minutes
Also called Kalah, sowing game

Mancala is a family of ancient 'sowing' games played with stones and pits. Our version follows the popular Kalah rules: scoop up stones, sow them around the board, and fill your store faster than your opponent.

By the Multiplayer Games team · Updated 27 October 2026 · Rules checked against the sources below

Objective

Finish the game with more stones in your store than your opponent has in theirs.

Setup

Each player has six pits on their side with stones in each, plus a store at their end of the board.

Mancala rules, step by step

Pick a pit. Choose one of the six pits on your side and pick up all its stones.
Sow. Drop one stone in each following pit counter-clockwise, including your own store but skipping your opponent's.
Extra turn. If your last stone lands in your store, take another turn.
Capture. If your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side, capture it along with the stones in the pit opposite.
Game end. When one side is empty, the game ends and remaining stones are counted. The fuller store wins.

Mancala variants, and the rules we use

Mancala is played slightly differently from place to place. These are the variants you're most likely to meet:

Oware. No stores in play; you capture by making a pit total two or three.
Three or six stones. Kalah with 3 or 6 seeds per pit changes the openings.
Empty capture. Some versions capture even when the opposite pit is empty.

How Mancala works in Multiplayer Games:

Kalah with four stones per pit.
Your opponent's store is skipped when sowing.
Captures need stones in the opposite pit.
When one side runs out, each player keeps the stones left on their own side.

Mancala strategy for beginners

Look for pits whose stone count lands exactly in your store — chain extra turns together.
Play from the pit nearest your store early; it keeps your options open.
Watch your opponent's empty pits: they can capture the stones opposite them.
Hoarding stones in one pit can set up a big move later — but it's also a big target.

Common mistakes to avoid

Leaving a large pile opposite your opponent's empty pit.
Missing free extra turns.

Mancala terms explained

Sowing: Dropping stones one at a time into the following pits.
Store (kalah): Your scoring pit at the end of your row.
Capture: Taking the opposite pit's stones by ending in an empty pit of yours.

A short history of Mancala

Mancala is a family of 'sowing' games played across Africa, the Middle East and Asia for well over a thousand years — Oware, Bao and Congkak are well-known relatives.

The version most people outside Africa know is Kalah, popularised in the United States in the 1940s by William Julius Champion Jr. It's the one we play, and it has been studied heavily by computer scientists.

Mancala FAQ

Sources

We checked these rules against: