Play Mancala Rivals
Mancala Rivals is a two-player strategy game from Ampersand Game Studios Ltd. Pick up the pearls in one of your pits and sow them around the board, one at a time. The aim is to collect more pearls in your store than your rival.
Play Boss Battle against computer opponents without an account, learn by making moves in the tutorial, or sign in for online matches and challenges with friends. Sungka and Kalaha sit alongside four shorter, larger and unevenly filled boards.
Rules, boards and strategy →Every pearl changes the next move
- Sow. Choose a non-empty pit on your side. Drop its pearls one by one into the following pits and your own store, skipping your rival’s store.
- Go again. If the last pearl lands in your store, you take another turn. Count your pearls before choosing a pit.
- Capture. If the last pearl lands in a previously empty pit on your side, it moves to your store with any pearls in the opposite pit.
- Reach the target. The first player to reach the board’s target wins. A player with no legal move is skipped while the other can still play.
Choose your board
Kalaha starts with six pits per side and four pearls in each pit. You need 25 pearls to win. It is a useful starting point for learning extra turns and captures.
Sungka starts with seven pits per side and seven pearls in each pit. The target is 50. Larger handfuls can pass several pits, so plan beyond the first trip around the board.
For a different puzzle, try Sprint, Pyramid, Heavy or Grand. The board guide lists their starting layouts and targets and explains how Mancala Rivals handles the end of a game.