Instructions for the Game Mancala

The right half of a mancala game board.

The board game mancala originated in Africa more than 3,500 years ago, and many variations of the game are played throughout the world. A mancala board features two horizontal rows of six small, rounded hollows or pockets with two larger pockets, called mancalas, at the ends of the rows. Each small pocket is filled with stones, and two players take turns picking up a pocketful of stones and distributing them to the other pockets on the board. The player who is able to collect the most stones in his mancala wins the game.

Instructions

1. Sit facing your opponent and place the game board horizontally between you. Each player's mancala is at the end of the board to his right.

2. Place four stones into each of the 12 small pockets on the board. Leave the two mancalas empty.

3. Pick up all of the stones from one of the six pockets on your side of the board on your turn. Place one stone into each pocket starting with the one to the immediate right of the empty pocket and moving counterclockwise around the board until you've placed all of the stones from your hand. Include your mancala and the pockets on your opponent's side of the board, but not your opponent's mancala, when placing stones.

4. Examine the location of the last stone you placed; if it is in a pocket on your side of the board that had previously contained no stones, add that last stone and all of the stones from the pocket across the board from it on your opponent's side to your mancala. Take another turn if your last stone ended in your mancala; otherwise, it is your opponent's turn.

5. Alternate turns with your opponent until the six small pockets on one side of the board are all devoid of stones. Collect any remaining stones from the small pockets on the opposite side of the board and add them to the mancala of the player on that side.

6. Count the stones in each mancala; the person with the most stones wins the game.

References

• "The Book of Games: Strategy, Tactics & History"; Jack Botermans; 2006
• Pressman Toy Corp.: Instructions for Mancala