I suppose you could get the game and read up on the strategy. Here’s a link to just one research paper on the subject just in case you’re having trouble falling asleep tonight. If you’re really into mathematics, the genre that applies to Mancala is called combinatorial game theory. Suffice it to say that, at least in most versions of Mancala, the player to go first has a major advantage if they know what they are doing. I won’t describe it here, but feel free to visit the Wikipedia article or continue to some of the sources cited there for the technicalities. Learning the history and variations of Mancala was pretty interesting but what my college degrees should have prepared me for was the mathematics behind winning the game. The American version is apparently called Wari or Kalah depending on what website you read. Wikipedia lists a wide variety of names for different variations and the countries they are played in. After doing some research it turns out that what I think of as the game Mancala is actually a classification or type of game that is played all over the world. While the game originated in Africa, the name mancala actually comes from an Arabic word naqala which means “to move”. The player with the most stones is the winner. The players count the stones in their mancala and also add in any that are left on their side. When one player’s side is empty, the game is over. Here is a typical first move, which allows that player to go a second time. This is called a capture.Īn important rule to note is that if the last stone you place lands in your mancala, you get another turn. If the last stone placed on your turn lands in an empty cup on your side of the board, take that stone and any stones in the opponent’s cup across from it, and place them in your mancala. Then going counterclockwise, place one stone in each cup, including their own mancala, but not the opponent’s mancala. One player goes first and takes all of the stones out of one of their cups. Each player has a side of the board with 6 cups and a larger cup at the end to the player’s right. The photo at the top of this post shows the initial set up. The setup is so simple that it occurred to me you could easily play this just about anywhere by gathering together some rocks, sticks, pennies, or whatever else you can find 48 of and marking off the cups with something. 48 rocks, 2 rows of 6 cups, and a cup at each end (the Mancala). So good that, at the age of 9, she usually beats everyone she goes against. We love playing the game and my daughter is very good at. So make sure to challenge your friends and family to a game of mancala.With three kids, we have quite a stockpile of games in our house, both electronic and traditional board games. Play often – the more you play, the better you will get.Keep calm - don't start panicking if things do not go as planned during one round or another There's always time to change strategies mid-game! Instead, be patient and wait for good opportunities.Study the board - try counting all the holes in each row before starting a match so that you can keep track of all possible moves while looking for weak points where stones may be captured next turn.Play against someone better than you – this will give you an idea of what it feels like when playing with someone that knows more about mancala, and it can also help teach you something new.Here are some tips on how to improve your game: Now that you know how to play mancala and some basic strategies, it's time to put your skills to the test. Then, take your moves as you normally do if playing with another person. However, you can play it alone until you win all the stones. Doing this will give you an advantage over them. Watch the board – Always keep an eye on what moves your opponent makes and try to predict their next move.If they take the bait, you can easily capture more of their stones. Bait your opponent – This is when you purposely leave one or two pieces unguarded to tempt your opponent into capturing them.This can be done by putting two or more pieces next to each other in an empty space. Form a blockade - Another strategy is to form a blockade with your pieces so that your opponent cannot move any of their stones.If your opponent captures the stones, you will have a lot to lose. Protect yourself – Try not to let many stones occupy one pocket.Use space advantage - If there is an empty hole right next to yours on one side of the board, take all your pieces out and line them up in a way so they can attack more than one place at once.That is why some playing tips will help you learn about different strategies and teach you how to win at mancala: If you are learning how to play mancala, it may be hard for you to beat your opponent by simply moving pieces clockwise around the board.
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