Overview

Das Bohnenspiel (The Bean Game) is a traditional mancala-family game for two players. Similar to Central Asian and Arab mancala games like Turkish Mangala and Palestinian Al-manqala, it is played on a board with two rows of 6 pits and two storehouses. Players sow beans counter-clockwise around the board, capturing beans along the way. The player who collects the most beans wins.

Components

• 1 Mancala board with 2 rows of 6 small pits and 2 large storehouses
• 72 beans (or stones/seeds)

Setup

Place 6 beans in each of the 12 small pits (72 beans total). Each player owns the row of 6 pits closest to them and the storehouse to their right.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On your turn, choose one of your pits containing at least one bean and sow its contents.

Actions

Sowing

1. Pick up all beans from one of your pits that contains at least one bean.
2. Moving counter-clockwise, drop one bean into each subsequent pit, including your own storehouse but skipping the opponent’s storehouse.
3. Continue until all picked-up beans are distributed.

Capture

• If the last bean lands in your own storehouse, you get another turn.
• If the last bean lands in an empty pit on your own side, you capture that bean and all beans in the directly opposite pit on the opponent’s side. Place all captured beans in your storehouse.
• If the opposite pit is empty, no capture occurs (you only take the single bean you placed).

Passing

• If a player has no beans in any of their pits, they must pass until they have beans again (if beans are sowed into their pits by the opponent).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when all beans have been captured (all pits are empty and all beans are in storehouses). The player with the most beans in their storehouse wins. With 72 beans total, you need at least 37 to win.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Extra turn: Landing your last bean in your own storehouse grants another turn. This can chain multiple times.
• Capture rule: Captures only occur when the last bean lands in an empty pit on your own side. The contents of the opposite pit are taken.
• Skipping opponent’s storehouse: When sowing, you always skip the opponent’s storehouse.
• Starvation: If your opponent has no beans, you are not required to feed them. However, some variants require you to make a move that gives the opponent beans if possible.
• Draw: If both players end with exactly 36 beans each, the game is a draw.

Player Reference

Turn: Pick up all beans from one of your pits → Sow counter-clockwise (skip opponent’s store)

Extra Turn: Last bean lands in your storehouse

Capture: Last bean lands in empty pit on your side → Take that bean + opposite pit’s beans

Win: Most beans in your storehouse when all pits are empty