LET'S PLAY
What is Mancala?
MANCALA
Mancala is one of the oldest bean-throwing games, in which players take turns scattering beans and taking the other's beans. In Japan, it is known as an educational material. In Malawi, a similar game called “Bao” is often played.
It is said to have been created thousands of years ago by the ancient Sumerians from trade records and is known as one of the oldest games in the world. In Africa, it is also played in Tanzania, Zambia, and Kenya.
It is a simple game, but it is also a game that can be enjoyed by both children and adults, requiring strategy, such as reading ahead and playing games with your opponent.
How to play
The player who removes all the stones from their territory before their opponent wins!
Preparation
● Place four stones in each pocket.
(The color of the stone doesn't matter.)
● 1 to 6 are Player A's territory. 8 to 13 are Player B's territory.
● Decide who will go first and who will go second by playing rock-paper-scissors or similar.
* You can increase or decrease the number of stones you put in each pocket at first, or the number of pockets you use.
You can change the difficulty of the game in those way.
Step 1
The first player (Player A) will play in his/her own territory 1 to 6.
Choose one of your pockets,
Take all the stones in that pocket.
Step 2
The stones taken are placed one by one in a counterclockwise direction, starting with the pocket to the right.
Step 3
If the last stone stops on 7 or 14 (the goal)
It's your turn again and you can continue.
* Figure 2 shows the movement when you take the stone at pocket 3.
※ Next, if you select pocket 6, you will move to pockets 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. (You will also move to your opponent's territory.)
Step 4
If the last stone falls into any other pocket,
it is now the second player's (Player B's) turn.
※ Figure 3 shows the movement when you take the stone at pocket 6.
Step 5
Player A and Player B take turns doing this, and the player who removes all of their stones from their territory before their opponent does is the winner.
