Mancala Online
The ancient seed-sowing game in your browser: pick a pit, spread the seeds and fill your store before your opponent does.
Your turn: choose a pit from your row (at the bottom).
Tap a pit highlighted in blue to sow · yellow shows where the last seed lands.
How to play Mancala
Each player has 6 pits in their row and a large store on the right. On your turn, tap one of your pits that has seeds: they are all picked up and sown one by one into the following holes, counterclockwise, passing through your store but skipping your opponent’s.
If the last seed lands in your store, you play again. If it lands in an empty pit on your side and the pit opposite has seeds, you capture that seed and all the ones opposite straight into your store. Hover over a pit (or touch it) to see where the last seed will end.
When one side runs out of seeds, the game ends and each player puts the seeds left on their side into their store. The player with more seeds wins. Choose to start with 4 or 6 seeds per pit, play the computer on easy, medium or hard, or pass the device to a friend.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best strategy in Mancala?
Look for moves that end in your store to earn an extra turn, especially from the pit closest to it. Avoid leaving full pits in front of your opponent’s empty pits, because that is where captures happen.
Are Mancala, Oware and Awalé the same game?
Mancala is the name of a family of sowing games. Here you play the Kalah variant, the best known in the West. Oware (or Awalé), very popular in West Africa, uses 4 seeds per pit, has no bonus turn and captures when the last seed makes 2 or 3 in an opponent’s pit.
Does the game change with 6 seeds?
Yes. With 6 seeds per pit the game is longer, with more seeds circulating and bigger captures. With 4 seeds it is faster and good for learning.