How to Play Mancala

Mancala is a game with ancient heritage from Eritrea and Ethiopia, dating back as far as the 6th and 7th century, and is still enjoyed through to this day. The term mancala is derived from the Arabic word naqala, meaning ‘to move.’

 Equipment

 

1 Mancala board and 48 stones

 

 

 

Setup

Place the game board between the two players lengthwise. The game board is made of 2 rows of 6 small holes known as “pockets”, and large holes on opposite ends called “mancalas” or “stores”.

 

Each player controls the 6 pockets in front of them and has their store to the right.

Place 4 stones in each of the 12 pockets. The color of the stones does not affect gameplay.

 

Objective

The objective is to collect the most stones in your store by the end of the game.

 

Gameplay

The first player begins by choosing any pocket with stones on their side of the board.

They remove all the stones from that pocket and drop one stone into each subsequent pocket and their own store, moving counter-clockwise, until all stones are placed.

 

If a player encounters their own store, a stone is deposited in it.

If there are enough stones to go past the player’s own store, stones are deposited continuing on the other side’s pockets. However, if they encounter the other player’s store, that store is skipped over.

If the last stone is deposited in the player’s own store, the player gets another turn.  

 

 
 If your last stone lands in an empty pocket on your side, you capture that stone along with all the stones in the directly opposite pocket, placing them into your store.

 

 

 

Winning the Game

The game ends when all six pockets on one side of the board are empty. Each player then counts the stones in their store. The player with the most stones in their store wins.

 

Shop for a Mancala Set

 

Version 1-15

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