Mancala Game Directions

Cleverly distribute stones to capture others in the game of mancala.

Mancala is an ancient game requiring two players, a game board and 48 stones. The object of the game is to collect the most stones in your mancala (the large bowls cut into the sides of the game board).

Set Up

Anything small and round, like marbles, can be used as a mancala stone. mancala beads image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com

The game board is rectangular, has 12 cups carved into it and rests between the two players with the long sides facing the players. The six cups closest to each player--and the mancala on the right--are his. Before play can begin each player must place four stones into each of his six cups.

Moving the Stones

After choosing who will go first, Player 1 must pick up all the stones from any cup on his side of the board and distribute them, one stone per cup (including his mancala and Player 2's cups, but not Player 2's mancala), in a counter-clockwise fashion until he runs out of stones. Players must alternate turns, however, if a player places the last stone of his turn into his mancala he gets another turn.

Capturing Stones and Winning

A player who places the last stone of his turn into an empty cup on his side captures all of the stones in his opponent's cup opposite it. The captured stones and the capturing stone must be removed by the player, who puts them in his mancala. When one player no longer has any stones left in the six cups on his side, the game ends and the player whose mancala contains the most stones wins.

References

• Board Game Capital
• University Games