Mancala rules and how to play

Mancala is a family of two-player board games in which you sow seeds around a board of pits. This page plays the most common version, often called Kalah: each player has a row of 6 pits with 4 seeds each and a store on their right. On your turn you pick up all the seeds from one of your pits and sow them one by one counter-clockwise, into your own store but not your opponent's. A last seed in your store gives you another turn, and a last seed in your own empty pit captures the seeds opposite. When either row is empty, the game ends and the player with more seeds wins.

The board and the starting position

The board has two rows of 6 small pits and a large store at each end. Your pits are the row nearest to you and your store is the one on your right; your opponent owns the other row and the store on your left. Each pit starts with 4 seeds, 48 in all, and both stores start empty. On Ttakji your row is always at the bottom, and pits are numbered 1 to 6 from the far end towards your store.

Starting position: 4 seeds in each of the 12 pits, both stores empty. Your pits are the bottom row, your store is on the right, and you sow counter-clockwise.

How to play, step by step

Each player owns the 6 pits nearest to them and the store on their right. Players take turns; online, the first player is chosen at random.
On your turn, pick up all the seeds from one of your pits.
Sow them one by one counter-clockwise into the next pits, including your own store but skipping your opponent's store.
If the last seed lands in your store, you move again.
If the last seed lands in an empty pit on your side and the opposite pit has seeds, take both into your store.
When either player's six pits are all empty, the game ends; each player puts the seeds left on their side into their own store.
The player with more seeds in their store wins; 24–24 is a draw.

Sowing

Pick up all the seeds from one of your pits and drop them one at a time into the following pits, counter-clockwise. Your own store gets a seed when you pass it; your opponent's store is always skipped. With 13 or more seeds you go all the way around, and the pit you started from gets a seed too.

Where the last seed lands decides what happens: in your store you move again; in your own empty pit you may capture; in a pit that already has seeds, or in an empty pit on your opponent's side, your turn simply ends.

Your pit 6 has 5 seeds: one goes into your store and four into your opponent's pits 1 to 4. The last seed lands in a pit that already had seeds, so your turn ends.

13 seeds go once around the board: your pits 2–6, your store, all six of your opponent's pits — skipping their store — and back into pit 1, which you just emptied. It is your empty pit with 3 seeds opposite, so you capture 4 seeds and your store reaches 16.

Your pit 6 has 2 seeds: one goes into your store and the last into your opponent's empty pit 1. Nothing is captured, and your turn ends.

Extra turns

If your last seed lands in your own store, you move again: choose any of your pits with seeds and sow. Extra turns can follow one another as long as each sowing ends in your store. Online, each extra sowing gets a fresh 30 seconds. If the sowing leaves a row empty, the game ends instead.

Sowing the 4 seeds of your pit 3 drops one each into pits 4, 5 and 6 and the last into your store: you move again.

Capturing

If your last seed lands in an empty pit on your side and the pit directly opposite has seeds, you capture: those seeds and your last seed go into your store, and your turn ends.

If the opposite pit is empty, nothing is captured: your seed stays where it landed and your turn ends. A last seed in an empty pit on your opponent's side also just ends your turn.

Your last seed lands in your empty pit 2. The opposite pit (your opponent's pit 5) holds 5 seeds, so you take them and your seed: 6 seeds go into your store, which now has 16.

Here the opposite pit is empty, so nothing is captured: the seed stays in your pit 2 and your turn ends.

How a game ends

A game ends in any of these cases; the server decides each one.

All six pits of either player are empty: the game ends at once (even right after a store landing), and each player moves the seeds left in their own pits into their own store.
The player with more seeds in their store wins; 24–24 is a draw.
Resignation or running out of time: the other player wins.
A draw agreed by both players.
400 sowings in total on Ttakji: the seeds left go to their owners' stores and the stores are compared.

Games usually take 30 to 70 sowings, so the 400-sowing limit is only a safety net.

Your last seed lands in your store, but now all your pits are empty, so the game ends at once — no extra turn. Your opponent moves the 21 seeds left on their side into their store: 27 to 21, they win.

Strategy basics

A few simple ideas win most beginner games.

Chain extra turns

A pit whose number of seeds equals its distance from your store ends in your store. Play the one closest to the store first, so the others still fit; from the start, your pit 3 is such a pit.

Keep the pit next to your store ready

Pit 6 needs just one seed to earn an extra turn. Emptying it and letting one seed fall back in gives you extra turns again and again.

Guard against captures

Your pits that face your opponent's empty pits can be captured. Move those seeds, or fill the empty pit across from them, before your opponent can land there.

Count before you sow

13 seeds go all the way around and land back in the pit they came from, which is then empty, so they can capture. Count where the last seed lands before every move.

Think about the end

When one row empties, the seeds left on each side go to their owner. Keeping many seeds on your side late in the game, while your opponent runs out of moves, can win it.

Congklak (Indonesia)

Congklak, played in Indonesia, uses 7 holes per player with 7 seeds each, sows clockwise and has relay sowing: when your last seed lands in a hole that has seeds, you pick them up and keep going. Our Indonesian page plays these rules.

Play congklak (Indonesian page)

Mancala games around the world

Mancala games are played with different boards and rules around the world. The main differences are the number of pits and seeds, whether you keep sowing from the pit where you land, and how you capture.

Main mancala games compared
Game	Board	Seeds	Relay sowing	Capture	Where
Kalah (common mancala) This page	2 × 6 pits + 2 stores	4 per pit (48)	No	Last seed in your empty pit takes the opposite pit's seeds	USA and worldwide (game sets, apps)
Congklak	2 × 7 holes + 2 stores	7 per hole (98)	Yes	Last seed in your empty hole takes the opposite hole's seeds	Indonesia; congkak in Malaysia, dakon in Java
Sungka	2 × 7 holes + 2 stores	7 per hole (98)	Yes	Varies by region	Philippines
Oware (awalé)	2 × 6 pits; captured seeds kept aside	4 per pit (48)	No	Last seed makes an opponent's pit hold 2 or 3	West Africa (also awalé, ayo)
Ô ăn quan	2 × 5 squares + 2 large "quan" squares	5 per square + 2 quan pieces	Yes	Take the square after an empty one	Vietnam
Pallanguzhi	2 × 7 cups	Varies	Yes	Varies by region	South India
Bao	4 × 8 pits	64	Yes	Varies by version	East Africa

Rules vary by region and family; the table shows the most common form of each. Ttakji plays the 6-pit version on this page and congklak on its Indonesian page.

Playing on Ttakji

Against the AI there is no clock, you can take back your last sowing, you choose to move first, second or at random, and you pick Easy, Normal or Hard. Hard is very strong and rarely makes a mistake.
Each sowing is animated for at most 1.5 seconds; tap the board to skip it.
Online and friend games give you 30 seconds for every sowing; an extra turn starts a new 30 seconds.
If your time runs out, you lose. Your clock keeps running while you are disconnected.
Who moves first is chosen at random and swaps on every rematch.
You can resign or offer a draw at any time. Undo is only available against the AI.
Ranked games on this page use their own Elo rating for this rule, starting at 1,200, and require a Google sign-in.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mancala on Ttakji free? Do I need an account?

Yes. It is free and runs in your browser with nothing to install. Choose a nickname to play the AI, a random opponent or a friend by link. Sign in with Google only for ranked games and the leaderboard. When no other player is available, some random-match opponents may be AI.

Which mancala rules does this page use?

The most common version, often called Kalah: 6 pits per player with 4 seeds each; you sow counter-clockwise into your own store but skip your opponent's; a last seed in your store gives you another turn; and a last seed in your own empty pit captures the seeds opposite, if there are any. Congklak, with 7 holes and relay sowing, is played on our Indonesian page.

Who moves first, and is it an advantage?

Online and with friends the first player is chosen at random, and the order swaps on every rematch; against the AI you choose to move first, second or at random. Moving first is an advantage in this version (see the next question), so swapping keeps things fair.

Is mancala solved? Can the first player always win?

Yes, for this version. Computer analysis has proven that with 6 pits and 4 seeds per pit the first player can always win, by 8 seeds, with perfect play. People rarely play perfectly, so games stay open. Our Hard AI searches deeply and is very strong, but it is not perfect.

Do seeds go into my opponent's store?

No. You sow into your own store but always skip your opponent's. Only the seeds in your own store count for you, and a last seed that lands there gives you another turn.

How does the game end, and who wins?

As soon as all six pits of either player are empty, the game ends; each player moves the seeds left in their own pits into their own store. The player with more seeds in their store wins, and 24–24 is a draw. On Ttakji a game also ends after 400 sowings, which practically never happens.

How do I play Mancala with a friend?

Press "Play a friend" and send the link. It is a one-on-one game where each of you plays on your own phone or computer. The link works for 24 hours and neither of you needs to sign up.

Is this sungka? How is mancala different from sungka?

Not quite. Sungka, from the Philippines, is played like congklak: 7 holes per player, usually 7 shells each, and you keep sowing when your last shell lands in a hole that already has shells; local rules vary. This page plays the 6-pit, 4-seed version without relay sowing. Our Indonesian page plays congklak, the closest to sungka.

What is the difference between capture and avalanche mancala?

They are two common ways to play on the same board. In capture mancala, the version on this page, your turn ends where your last seed lands unless it lands in your store, and a last seed in your own empty pit captures the seeds opposite. In avalanche mancala, as it is usually described, a last seed in a pit that has seeds makes you pick them all up and keep sowing, and there are no captures. Ttakji offers the capture version.