Info About Mancala
Mancala started in Africa and moved across the Middle East centuries ago. Players aim to collect more stones than their opponent. The board has twelve smaller pits and two larger pits known as stores. Each player controls six pits in front of them and one store at the end.
Every small pit begins with the same number of stones. A player picks up all the stones from one pit and drops them one by one into the next pits and their own store. Landing the last stone in a store earns an extra turn. Placing the final stone in an empty pit on your side lets you capture that stone and any stones in the opposite pit. One player ends with no stones in the pits. The other player takes any stones left and adds them to their store. The winner holds the highest total in a store.
Players talk about the simple setup. They note the strategic depth in each move. Different communities carve boards in new shapes. Some groups tweak the rules to add variety. This pattern keeps the game alive across many years.