Sow seeds around a twelve-bowl board, grab extra turns and captures, and finish with the fuller store.
Mancala is a two-player seed-sowing game, and this version plays by the Kalah rules. The board has twelve small bowls in two rows plus a long store at each end. On your turn you empty one of your bowls and sow its seeds, a single seed into each bowl you pass. At the end, the player with more seeds in their store wins.
It is easy to learn in a minute, but every move has knock-on effects. A single choice can earn you another turn, set up a capture, or leave your best pile open to attack.
Rules in brief
You own the six bowls along the bottom and the store on the right. The upper bowls and the store on the left belong to your opponent. Each bowl starts with four seeds.
Pick any of your bowls that has seeds in it. They spread out counterclockwise, one per bowl, and drop into your own store as they pass it. Your opponent’s store is skipped.
Two things make a move special:
- If your final seed falls into your own store, you take another turn right away.
- If your final seed ends up alone in a bowl of yours that was empty, and the facing bowl holds seeds, both piles move into your store.
Once either player’s six bowls are empty, the game stops. Whatever is left on the other side goes into that side’s store, and then the stores are compared.
Picking an opponent
The start screen offers three modes. You can play a friend on one screen, play the computer, or watch two computer players go at it. The seven bots are named Alice, Bob, Bill, Charlie, Jan, Jill and Thomas, and every one has a short note on its style.
Most of them stick to simple habits, such as always moving the bowl closest to their store or chasing bonus turns. Alice is different. She looks ahead before she moves, and you can give her more thinking time on her setup screen if one second is not enough of a challenge.
Strategy notes
Look first for a bowl whose seed count matches its distance from your store. Playing it lands the last seed in your store and earns a free move. Sometimes you can chain several of these in a row.
Guard your larger piles. Whenever your opponent can end a move in an empty bowl facing one of them, that pile is at risk, so move it or drop a seed into the empty bowl. Keeping an empty bowl of your own across from a full one is the same trick in reverse.
Near the end, count what remains on your rival’s row. Those seeds go to them when your side runs dry, so it may pay to hold back.
Good to know
Tap or click a store to switch between marble pictures and plain numbers. The gear menu also lets you show turn info and scores, rotate the board, change its size and adjust the sowing speed.
Controls
| Action | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Sow the seeds from a bowl | Click one of your bowls | Tap one of your bowls |
| Switch seeds between marbles and numbers | Click either store | Tap either store |
| Open the menu | Click the gear button, or press and hold a store | Tap the gear button, or press and hold a store |
| Choose a mode and opponent | Click a mode on the start screen, then an opponent | Tap a mode on the start screen, then an opponent |
Mancala FAQ
Can two people play Mancala on one device?
Yes. Pick 2 Players 1 Screen and take turns on the same board. The upper row belongs to Red, and the lower row to Green. You can also play alone against a computer and choose who goes first, or sit back and watch two computer players face each other.
Does it work on a phone or Chromebook?
Yes. It runs with a mouse, a touchpad or a touchscreen, and each bowl is a big target. With the Auto rotation setting, the board swings around to suit a phone held upright. Your display settings are remembered in your browser.
How long does a game last?
A game ends as soon as one player has no seeds left in any of their six bowls. Most of the length depends on how many captures and extra turns happen along the way. You can also speed things up by raising the sowing speed in the menu.
Where can I read the rules in the game?
A How to Play screen is linked from the start page and is also inside the gear menu. You can open the menu at any time during a match with the gear button, or by pressing and holding a store.
