Backgammon
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Mancala
HulaGamesAges 13+
- Board game
- Mancala
- Strategy
Screenshots
Features
Sow preview
Hold a pit to see where its last seed lands: a free turn, a capture or neither, before you commit.
Three bot levels
Easy is relaxed, Medium is sharp and Hard searches deep. You and the bot take turns going first.
Today's Daily Sow
A solver-checked endgame a day with exactly one winning first move. One counted try, then practice it as often as you like.
A short first lesson
Two glowing moves teach the free turn and the capture in under a minute.
Pass and play
Two people, one phone: the upright board reads from both sides.
About this game
Mancala is the classic seed-sowing board game on your phone. Two rows of six pits hold four seeds each, with a store at each end. Pick up a pit and sow its seeds one at a time round the board. The player with the most seeds in their store at the end wins.
Two rules make every move count. Drop your last seed in your own store and you go again. Drop it in an empty pit on your side and you capture it together with every seed in the pit across. Chain free turns and set up captures to pull ahead.
HulaGames adds a sow preview: hold any pit before you let go, and the path of its seeds is drawn and the pit where the last one lands glows. You can see a free turn or a capture coming before you commit, and slide your finger off to change your mind.
Play the bot on Easy, Medium or Hard. You and the bot take turns going first, and Hard is a deep searcher that is tough to beat. Today's Daily Sow is an endgame that is the same for everyone: find the one first move that finishes ahead of a bot that defends perfectly. One counted try keeps your streak, and past days and 500 practice endgames wait in the Archive. Pass and play lets two people share one phone.
HulaGames rewards
Play Mancala on HulaGames to earn Hula Points (HP), badges and daily quests.
Game info
- Developer
- HulaGames
- Publisher
- HulaGames
- Genre
- Board · Mancala
- Modes
- Play the bot, Pass and play, Today's Daily Sow, Past Daily Sows
- Players
- Single player
- Controls
- Tap one of your pits to sow it. Hold it first to see where the last seed lands, and slide your finger off to change your mind.
- Plays on
- Phone or desktop browser
- Price
- Free
- Categories
- Board Games, Strategy, Classics
- Short link
- hulagames.com/play/mancala
Player ratings
How to play Mancala
- Tap one of your pits. Its seeds are sown one per pit, into your store and on round the board, skipping the bot's store.
- Land your last seed in your store and you go again. Land it in an empty pit on your side, with seeds across, and you capture both.
- When either row runs out, each side keeps the seeds left in its own row, and the bigger store wins. Hold a pit first to see where its last seed lands.
Controls: Tap one of your pits to sow it. Hold it first to see where the last seed lands, and slide your finger off to change your mind.
Questions
Can I play Mancala now?
Yes. It's free on HulaGames, in your browser, with no download. Press Play on this page.
How do you win at Mancala?
Finish with more seeds in your store than the other side. The game ends when either row is empty, and each side then keeps the seeds left in its own row.
What happens when my last seed lands in my store?
You take another turn straight away. Chaining these free turns is one of the strongest things you can do.
How does a capture work?
If your last seed lands in an empty pit on your side and the pit across has seeds, you take both into your store.
How hard is the bot?
Easy is relaxed and often picks a pit at random. Medium looks a few moves ahead. Hard searches deep and is tough to beat. You and the bot take turns going first, game to game.
What is the Daily Sow?
An endgame that's the same for everyone each day. Exactly one first move lets you finish ahead of a bot that defends perfectly. You get one counted try a day for your streak, and it resets at midnight Pacific.
Can two people play on one phone?
Yes. Pass and play lets two people take turns on the same board. Pass-and-play games don't count toward your stats or the Daily.
Are there ads or anything to buy?
No. There are no ads before or during play, and nothing to buy.
Do I need an account?
No. Press Play and start. Your progress saves in your browser, and follows your HulaGames account if you sign in.
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Play on your phone tooOn your phone, open hulagames.com and add it to your Home Screen. It opens full screen, like an app.