About Mancala on Suvi
Mancala is the family of sowing games played with seeds and pits for thousands of years. Suvi plays the six-pit rules most people learn: a board of two rows of six pits with four seeds in each, and a store at each end. On your turn you scoop up every seed in one of your pits and sow them one by one around the board, into your own store but never your opponent's. Finish in your store and you go again; finish in an empty pit of yours opposite a full one and you capture the lot. When one side runs out, the game ends and whoever has more seeds in store wins. Play mancala online as a two player game on one phone, or against the computer at Easy, Medium or Hard.
How to play
- Choose Two players (pass the phone) or vs Computer (Easy, Medium or Hard), and who goes first.
- Tap one of the six pits on your side. Its seeds are sown one by one, counter-clockwise, skipping your opponent's store.
- If the last seed lands in your store, you go again.
- If the last seed lands in an empty pit on your side and the pit opposite has seeds, you capture them all.
- When either side's pits are all empty, the other player stores the seeds left on their side. Most seeds in store wins.
Controls
On a phone or tablet: Tap a pit on your side to sow it. Your row is the one nearest you and your store is on the right; the other player's row runs along the top into the store on the left.
On a desktop: Click a pit, or press 1–6 for your pits from left to right. The arrow keys move between pits and Enter sows. U undoes, H asks for a hint.
Tips
- Count before you sow: a pit whose seeds exactly reach your store gives you a free turn. Play the one nearest the store first and the others may still line up.
- Leave an empty pit opposite a big pile of your opponent's: if one of your sowings can end there, you capture the pile.
- Watch the pits on your side that your opponent could capture from, and move big piles out of danger.
- Seeds left on your side when the other player runs out go to your store, so hoarding near the end can pay off.
- With 25 seeds in store you can't be caught: there are 48 in all.
Read the full guide: “Mancala strategy: how to win with the classic six-pit rules” →
Questions
- Which mancala rules are these?
- The classic six-pit rules, the version most people learn as mancala: six pits a side, four seeds in each, a store at each end, an extra turn for ending in your store, and a capture when your last seed lands in an empty pit on your side opposite a pit with seeds. If the pit opposite is empty, there's no capture.
- Can I play mancala with two players on one phone?
- Yes. Choose Two players: each of you taps pits on your own side, and the banner shows whose turn it is. To play a friend on their own phone, choose Online with a friend and send the invite link. There's no account to make: it asks once for your date of birth, and online play isn't open to under-13s.
- What happens at the end?
- As soon as all six pits on either side are empty, the game ends and the player who still has seeds on their side puts them in their own store. The one with more seeds in store wins; 24 each is a draw.
- How good is the computer?
- Easy sows for fun and misses chances. Medium looks a few sowings ahead. Hard searches deep and plays the endgame perfectly, so beating it takes real planning.
- Is it free?
- Yes. You can sow against the computer at any level, or play a friend on one phone or by invite link, all free and without an account. Your wins and losses at each level are remembered on this device.
More Mancala
Similar games
- Nine Men's Morris — Place, slide and fly your nine pieces. Make mills, take theirs.
- Draughts — Jump, capture, crown a king. Play the computer or a friend on one phone.
- Four in a Row — Drop discs, line up four. Play the computer or a friend on one phone.
Who made it
Mancala is a Suvi Original, written and tested by Brasslight Games. Every puzzle is generated and checked by our own tools; nothing is copied from another site.