Play Mancala (Kalah) free online — the ancient sow-and-capture board game. Take on the computer at three difficulty levels or a friend in 2-player mode.
Tap one of your six pits to sow the seeds counter-clockwise. Land in your store to go again; land in your empty pit to capture.
Mancala is one of the oldest board games in the world — a game of sowing and capturing seeds that has been played for thousands of years across Africa and Asia. This version follows the popular Kalah rules. Play against the computer on three difficulty levels, or pass the device for a two-player match. It runs straight in your browser — no download, no sign-up.
Each player owns a row of six pits and a large store. You start with four seeds in every pit. On your turn you scoop up all the seeds from one of your pits and 'sow' them one by one, counter-clockwise, into the following pits — including your own store, but skipping your opponent's. Two special rules make every move a small puzzle.
If your last seed lands in your own store, you take another turn. If it lands in an empty pit on your own side, you capture that seed plus every seed in the pit directly opposite, sweeping them all into your store. The round ends when one player's six pits are empty; the other player keeps their remaining seeds. Whoever has the most seeds in their store wins.
On your turn, tap one of your six pits to pick up its seeds and sow them one per pit, counter-clockwise. The aim is to gather more seeds in your store than your opponent does in theirs.
If the last seed you sow lands in your own store, you immediately take another turn. Chaining extra turns is one of the strongest tactics in the game.
If your last seed lands in an empty pit on your own side, you capture that seed and every seed in the pit directly across from it, moving them all into your store.
The round ends as soon as one player has no seeds left in any of their six pits. The other player then collects all their remaining seeds, and the higher store total wins.
Yes. You can play the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard — Hard uses a deep look-ahead search and is a serious challenge. There is also a two-player pass-and-play mode.
Yes. The board uses a tall layout that fits phone screens, and you simply tap one of your pits to sow. No app or install is needed.
Yes. Mancala is a whole family of sowing games; this version uses the well-known Kalah rules with six pits, four seeds per pit and the capture-and-extra-turn rules described above.