Overview

Mangala is a traditional Turkish mancala game played on a board with 12 small pits (6 per side) and 2 large treasure pits (one per player). Players distribute stones from their pits to capture the most stones in their treasure pit. The game combines tactical sowing with capture mechanics unique to the Turkish variant.

Components

• 1 game board with 12 small pits (6 on each side) and 2 large treasure pits (1 at each end)
• 48 stones (4 per small pit at start)

Setup

1. Place the board between two players so each has 6 small pits on their side and 1 treasure pit on their right.
2. Place exactly 4 stones in each of the 12 small pits.
3. Both treasure pits start empty.
4. Determine starting player.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On your turn:

1. Choose one of your 6 small pits containing stones.
2. Pick up all stones from that pit.
3. Drop 1 stone back into the pit you took from, then continue dropping 1 stone into each subsequent pit moving counterclockwise (to the right).
4. Drop stones into your own treasure pit when passing it, but skip the opponent’s treasure pit.

Actions

Sowing

• Pick up all stones from one of your pits.
• Drop the first stone back into the starting pit.
• Continue counterclockwise, 1 stone per pit.
• Include your treasure pit in the sowing path; skip the opponent’s treasure.

Extra Turn

If the last stone drops into your treasure pit, you earn an extra turn.

Capturing

If the last stone drops into an empty pit on your side, and the opposite pit on the opponent’s side contains stones, capture all stones from the opponent’s pit plus your stone and place them in your treasure.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Winning a Set

The game set ends when one player has no stones in any of their 6 pits. The remaining stones on the opponent’s side go into that opponent’s treasure. The player with the most stones in their treasure wins the set.

Winning the Game

Mangala is traditionally played in multiple sets. The player who wins the most sets wins the overall game. In some variants, the losing player of a set “closes” pits in proportion to their deficit, starting the next set with fewer available pits.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Always drop the first stone back into the starting pit – this is unique to Mangala compared to other mancala games.
• If a player has no legal move (all pits empty), their turn passes and the opponent captures all remaining stones.
• Captures only occur when the last stone lands in an empty pit on your own side.
• The game requires both tactical planning (which pit to sow from) and counting ahead to predict where the last stone will land.
• Some regional variants add additional capture rules or different starting stone counts.

Player Reference

Action	Rule
Sow	Pick up all stones; drop 1 back, then 1 per pit counterclockwise
Extra turn	Last stone lands in your treasure
Capture	Last stone lands in empty pit on your side; take opponent’s opposite stones
Skip	Do not drop stones in opponent’s treasure
Game end	One side empty; opponent’s remaining stones go to their treasure