How to play Kalah
A traditional seed-sowing game from the Mancala family. Sow your seeds and collect the most in your store.
The rules, step by step
- The board has two rows of six pits and a store at each end. Every pit starts with four seeds. Your pits are the bottom row, and your store is on the right.
- On your turn, tap one of your pits. Pick up all its seeds and drop them one at a time into the following pits, moving to the right along your row, into your store, and on round the computer's row. Seeds skip the computer's store.
- If your last seed lands in your own store, you get another turn.
- If your last seed lands in an empty pit on your side, you capture that seed plus all the seeds in the pit directly opposite, and put them in your store.
- The game ends when all the pits on one side are empty. The other side keeps the seeds left in its pits. The bigger store wins.
An example
The fourth pit from the right of your row holds 3 seeds. Playing it drops one in each of the next three places. If the last lands in your store, you play again.
Tips
- Look for moves whose last seed lands exactly in your store. They give you a free turn, and you can chain them.
- Emptying a pit on your side sets up a capture when the opposite pit has many seeds.
- Press Hint if you are not sure which pit to play.