Mancala
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About This Game
Play Mancala free online against the computer. Sow the stones around the board and capture more than your opponent. The ancient strategy classic.
How to play Mancala
Objective: Finish the game with more seeds in your store (the cyan bin on the right) than the AI collects in its orange store.
The board has your six cyan pits along the bottom, the AI's six orange pits along the top, your store on the right, and the AI's store on the left. Every pit starts with four seeds and both stores start empty. On your turn, tap any cyan pit that has seeds. They are lifted out and dropped one at a time into the following spaces, moving counter-clockwise. Sowing skips the AI's store, but drops a seed in your own store when you pass it.
Where your last seed lands decides what happens next. If it drops into your store, the message reads "Free turn! Go again" and you move again at once. Chaining free turns is the fastest way to pull ahead, so look for pits whose seed count equals the exact distance to your store and line those up.
Captures are the other way to score in bulk. If your final seed lands in one of your own pits that was empty (so it now holds exactly one seed), you take that seed plus every seed in the AI pit directly opposite, and both go into your store. A capture only fires on your own side, and only when the pit across from your landing pit holds seeds.
The game ends the instant either player's six pits are all empty. Every remaining seed is then swept into its owner's store and the totals are compared. The scoreline at the top shows AI and You updating live after each move. Most seeds wins; a level score shows "It's a tie!". Press New Game to reset.
Tips and strategy
Chase the free turn
Landing your last seed in your store grants another move immediately. Find pits whose seed count equals the distance to your store, then chain several free turns before the AI plays.
Set up empty-pit captures
You only capture when your last seed lands in one of your own pits that was empty. Clear a near pit early, then drop a single seed into it later to steal the loaded AI pit opposite.
Aim at fat pits
A capture takes only the seeds across from your landing pit, so it pays off when that opposing AI pit is full. Aim captures at the AI's fattest pits, not ones facing nothing.
The AI thinks deep
The opponent searches seven moves ahead and grabs its own free turns and captures whenever possible. Never leave a lightly loaded pit facing a full one of yours, or the AI takes it next turn.
The history of Mancala
Mancala is one of the oldest known families of board games, with sowing boards recorded across Africa and the Middle East for well over a thousand years under names like Kalah, Oware, and Bao. This version follows the two-row, six-pit Kalah rules widely taught in the West: four seeds per pit, an extra turn for finishing in your store, and a capture opposite an empty pit.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get an extra turn?
End a sow with your last seed dropping into your own store, the cyan bin on the right. The status line reads "Free turn! Go again" and you play again at once. There is no cap on chaining these while each move keeps ending on your store.
When can I capture the AI's seeds?
Only when your last seed lands in one of your own pits that was empty beforehand. You then take that single seed plus every seed in the AI pit directly opposite, all into your store. Landing in an occupied pit captures nothing.
How does the game end?
The moment all six pits on either side are empty, play stops. Every seed still on the board is swept into its owner's store, then the totals are compared. The ending can arrive suddenly once one side runs low, so watch both rows.
Can I change the difficulty?
There is no difficulty setting. The AI always searches seven moves ahead and moves after a short pause. It plays the same strong game every time, so improvement comes from your own free-turn chains and capture setups.