Mancala Guide: Rules, Captures, Extra Turns & Strategy
Mancala
Pick up a pit of stones, sow them one by one around the board and use extra turns and captures to collect the most stones in your home cup.
“Mancala” describes a family of games, so this hub is deliberately scoped to the classic rules printed in Hasbro/Cranium’s Mancala Mania instructions: six pits per player, four stones per pit, one home cup to the right, counterclockwise sowing and opposite-pit captures.
Game at a Glance
Choose a Pit
Take all stones from one pit on your side.
Sow One by One
Drop one stone into each following pit and your own home cup.
Extra Turn
End in your home cup to play again.
Capture Opposite
End in an empty pit on your side to capture across the board.
Rules overview
Place four stones in each of the 12 small pits. On your turn, choose one pit on your side, pick up all its stones and sow them counterclockwise one at a time, including your own home cup but skipping the opponent’s home cup. Ending in your home cup grants another turn; ending in an empty pit on your side captures that stone plus the stones opposite.
Mancala guides
Source and scope
Hasbro/Cranium Mancala Mania rules. This page covers the printed classic Mancala mode, not every game in the wider Mancala family. Checked September 27, 2026.