The sowing ends in an empty pit on your own side: All stones in the opposite pit (on the opponent's side) along with the last stone of the sowing are placed into your kalaha and your turn is over.

If you can make your opponent run out of stones first, this assures that every stone which lands on that spot will be yours at the end of the game. The more you play Mancala, the easier anticipating your opponent’s strategy gets. Look for opportunities to score a quick mancala and then take an extra move. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Although the rules change a little between versions, the basic strategies are the same for each game. Empty your rightmost hole early in the game.

1:41. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

By using our site, you agree to our. This is called sowing, an important part of strategizing to win.

Focus on controlling the board first and the captures will follow. It may set you up for an even better move that gets you more points. (If you are not playing on the standard board with four stones per hole, simply start with whatever hold lands the last piece in your mancala.). wikiHow's. Seth is a freelance writer specializing in gameplay and strategies, and is also author of "The Little Book of Mahjong. Because your rightmost hole is directly next to your mancala zone, whenever you pick up a single stone from that hole as your move, you will immediately score a point and get another move. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/90\/Win-Mancala-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Win-Mancala-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/90\/Win-Mancala-Step-1.jpg\/aid5349776-v4-728px-Win-Mancala-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

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As the second move on your turn, when going first, a good move is to play from your rightmost or second-rightmost hole. The rightmost cup is hardest for your opponent to reach. Remember that small numbers of stones can’t move far. The notation (m,n)-Kalaha refers to Kalaha with m pits per side and n stones in each pit.In 2000, Kalaha was solved for all m ≤ 6 and n ≤ 6, except (6,6).. Now, 11 years later, we have solved (6,6)-Kalaha. If you are playing with the capture rule, be aware of whenever the opponent has an empty hole across from a lot of your stones. Some versions start with 3 or 5 stones in each cup. Stay on your toes.

Select your movements carefully for the best chance of success. Single- and online multiplayer.

Capturing a pile of stones can be very powerful. If you always play from any hole that ends on your mancala, you will not only score lots of points and get extra moves, but you will also avoid having so many stones build up in a hole on your side that you have to play them onto your opponent's side. You won’t have a bunch of stones on the left side of the board waiting to be captured and have more ways of dealing with your opponent’s next move.

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. This will land your last piece in your mancala zone, not only scoring you a point but immediately giving you a second move before your turn is over.

Plan your moves carefully and you may end up controlling the board. Common Core Connections MP1 - Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Winning Mancala requires continual planning and calculating, so going second isn’t an instant loss. Kalah was invented by William Julius Champion Jr., a graduate of Yale University, in 1940. Play Mancala, the classic board game. Spreading the stones out opens up your possibilities a little. For this reason, emptying that hole early is a powerful strategy. There are hundreds of different versions of Mancala.

% of people told us that this article helped them. For example, if you have 3 stones in a cup, drop a stone in the 3 cups ahead of it.

Pass over the Mancala without putting a stone in it. Mancala games play a role in many African and some Asian societies comparable to that of chess in the West, or the game of Go in Eastern Asia. Win with a careful balance of offensive and defensive play. Mancala is like chess in that you have to adapt throughout the game. The more you play, the better you get. These movements are far easier to anticipate. ", Learn How to Play Mancala to Strengthen Strategic Thinking Skills, Basics, History, and Origin of the Mancala Board Game, The Complete Rules for Playing Backgammon, Special Chess Rules for Castling, Pawn Promotion, and En Passant.

For more tips, like how to play your opening moves strategically, read on!