Kalah/Mancala Board Game

Mankala, also known as Kalah, Naqala, Bao la Kiswahili, Congkak, Oware, Awalé, Awélé, Toguz korgool and Toguz kumalak, is a classic board game that is played similarly to the majority of mancala games. Players start by depositing a particular number of seeds, specific to the game they've decided to play, in each of the holes present on the board. A player can revisit their strategies by counting their stones and planning the next move. The gameplay is often characterized by the phrase "count and capture." Although each game differs in its fine points, this general sequence applies to every one of them. In most two- and three-row mancala games, the primary objective is to capture more stones than the opponent, whereas, in four-row games, the player tries to capture all counters in their front row or leave the opponent with no legal move. Before starting their turn, players choose a hole with seeds that will be sown on the board. The selection process is typically limited to holes present on the current player's side of the board or holes that possess a certain minimum number of seeds. The process of sowing is the method utilized to drop all the seeds from a particular hole one-by-one into subsequent holes in a motion wrapping around the board. This activity is so called because not only do many games traditionally feature seeds, but also, sowing seeds one at a time in different holes mirrors the physical process of farming. If the sowing movement ends after dropping the last seed, the game is deemed a single lap game. It is common to have multiple laps or relay sowing in mancala games, though not universally. If the last seed sown lands in an occupied hole during relay sowing, all the contents of that hole, including the last sown seed, are immediately re-sown from that hole. This process usually continues until sowing ends in an empty hole. Another common way to receive "multiple laps" is when the final seed sown lands in your designated hole. Many games from the Indian subcontinent include pussa kanawa laps, which are like standard multilaps, but instead of continuing the movement with the contents of the last filled hole, a player continues with the next hole. A pussakanawa lap move will then end when a lap ends just prior to an empty hole. If a player ends with a point move, they get a "free turn." Depending on the last sown hole in a lap, a player may capture stones from the board. The exact requirements for capture and what is done with captured stones vary immensely among games. Generally, a capture necessitates sowing to end in a hole with a certain number of stones, end up across the board from stones in specific configurations, or land in an empty hole adjacent to an opponent's hole that contains one or more pieces. Additionally, various games include the notion of capturing holes, and therefore, all seeds sown on a captured hole belong to the player who captured it at the end of the game. Keep up with the latest updates on Mankala by following them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mancala.Game/