Mancala
is played with seven pits per player, six playing pits plus one score
pit, called the Kalaha. This is a very old game but has not lost it's
charm as a good math teacher as well as challenging enough that adults
still like to play the game.
GAME
RULES:
To
Start Game:
Required
pieces to play:
2
players at a time can play Mancala, the more marbles you start out
with, the more challenging the game.
At
the beginning of the game, each of the (12) middle playing pits contains
3 or more marbles, (each hole starts with the same amount). To play,
the player chooses one pit and removes all the marbles from that pit
and distributes one marble in each pit to his right in a counter clockwise
direction. If there are enough marbles to land or go past the players
home or (Kalaha) pit, they put one in there and continue on around
until there are no more to distribute. If the last marble distributed
lands in the players Kalaha, then they get to go again. Marbles placed
in a Kalaha are points for that player. Marbles are not put in the
opponent's Kalaha. If the last marble is placed in an empty pit on
their own side of the board, (after passing the opponent's Kalaha)
then they capture the marbles in the opposite (their opponent's) pit.
All captured marbles, as well as the capturing piece, are placed in
the player's Kalaha. The game ends when all of the pits on one side
of the board are empty. The player with marbles remaining gets to
put them into their own Kalaha. The winner is the player with the
most marbles.
The
Mancala game comes with 60 marbles
and instructions.
This
lightweight board is stack-able, and very durable, making it ideal for
schools and other facilities where multiple games may be desired. These
games can be washed!
This
board measures approximately 19&1/4 inches long by 5&3/4 inches
wide by 3/4 inches thick. Player holes are designed to hold marbles
or other playing pieces a little more positively than most wood boards,
making it less of a hazard to drop pieces on the floor because of spillage.
The
Mancala game board design and construction shown is
© 2003 Danial K. Miller
