Do I need to install anything, or pay?

No. The board on this page runs in the browser, free and with no sign-up, and the two of you share one device. Mancala is a web-only extra — the PartyAt app is a collection of party games for one phone.

Is this congklak, sungka, awalé, or oware?

Mancala is a family of games, and the one here is kalah: six pits a side, four seeds each, players alternating. Congklak and sungka use seven pits of seven and both players start at the same time; awalé and oware have no stores and capture when the last seed makes two or three. Same idea, different rules — this board plays kalah.

Who goes first, and can I take a move back?

The player at the bottom of the screen starts. Undo takes back the last move as many times as you like, which is what you want when two people are learning the capture rule at the same table.

Mancala (Kalah)

Sow the seeds, take the store.

One of the oldest board games in the world, played here as Kalah: six pits a side, four seeds in each, and a store to fill. Sow counter-clockwise, land in your store to go again, and land in an empty pit of your own to take everything facing it. Two players, one device.

2 players

This one is a web extra — it isn't in the app. The PartyAt app itself ships 17 party games.

Play mancala online free — 2 players, one device

Mancala, played by the kalah rules: six pits a side, four seeds in each, and a store to fill. Sow counter-clockwise, finish in your own store to go again, and finish in an empty pit of your own to capture everything facing it. Free, no sign-up, and it keeps working offline once the page has loaded.

Player 20

Player 10

Kalah rules: your own store is fed on the way past and your opponent’s is skipped. When one side runs out of seeds the game stops, and the other player takes everything still on the board.

Mancala is a web extra — the PartyAt app is a collection of party games for one phone, from a bomb-passing game to bingo, dice and roulette, for up to a hundred players.

How to play — rules

Each side starts with six pits of four seeds. The store on your right is yours.
On your turn, empty one of your pits and drop one seed into each pit that follows, counter-clockwise. You feed your own store on the way past, and skip your opponent's.
If your last seed lands in your own store, you play again.
If your last seed lands in an empty pit on your own side, take that seed and every seed in the pit facing it, straight into your store.

How to win

The game ends as soon as one player has no seeds left on their side. The other player sweeps whatever is still on the board into their own store, and whoever holds more seeds wins. Equal stores are a draw.

Tips & strategy

Count before you sow: the pit that ends exactly in your store gives you a free extra turn, and two of those in a row can decide the game.
Keep an eye on the pit facing a full one of your opponent's. Leaving one of your pits empty invites a capture — but it also sets one up for you.

FAQ

Do I need to install anything, or pay?: No. The board on this page runs in the browser, free and with no sign-up, and the two of you share one device. Mancala is a web-only extra — the PartyAt app is a collection of party games for one phone.
Is this congklak, sungka, awalé, or oware?: Mancala is a family of games, and the one here is kalah: six pits a side, four seeds each, players alternating. Congklak and sungka use seven pits of seven and both players start at the same time; awalé and oware have no stores and capture when the last seed makes two or three. Same idea, different rules — this board plays kalah.
Who goes first, and can I take a move back?: The player at the bottom of the screen starts. Undo takes back the last move as many times as you like, which is what you want when two people are learning the capture rule at the same table.

Where it shines

Pass one phone around and play it in moments like these.

Just the two of youHead-to-head while you wait.
Anywhere, offlineNo wifi, no signal? No problem.