Mancala is one of the oldest board games still played: six pits on your side, six on the CPU's side, and a store at each end. On your turn you pick up every seed from one of your pits and sow them one by one around the board.
Two rules give the game its strategy. If your last seed lands in your own store, you get another turn. If it lands in an empty pit on your side, you capture that seed plus everything in the opposite pit. The game ends when one side is empty, and the remaining seeds go to the other player's store.
The CPU evaluates every legal move and prefers store gains, captures and extra turns. Beating it requires setting up captures rather than taking the first available one.
How to play Mancala
- Click one of the six pits on your side to sow its seeds.
- Seeds are placed one per pit, moving counter-clockwise, skipping the opponent's store.
- Landing the last seed in your store grants another turn.
- Landing in an empty pit captures the opposite pit. The player with more seeds in their store wins.
Tips & strategy
Mancala rewards counting, not speed. Before every move, count where the last seed will land.
- Count the seeds in a pit and the distance to your store; landing exactly in the store is worth an extra turn.
- Set up captures by leaving a pit with one seed opposite a full enemy pit — but only if you can land there safely.
- Avoid emptying your side early. If your pits are empty, the CPU collects the remaining seeds.
- The rightmost pit is often the most valuable because it can reach the store in one move.
- Do not chase every capture; giving the CPU an extra turn can cost more than the seeds you gain.
- In the endgame, count total seeds rather than individual pits — the store difference is what matters.
Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Click / Tap | Choose a pit |
| New Game | Restart |