What is a Mancala?

: any of various games that are widely played in Africa and southern Asia and in areas influenced by African or Asian cultures and that involve competition between two players in the distribution of pieces (as beans or pebbles) into rows of holes or pockets (as in a board) under various rules that permit accumulation ...

Why is it called mancala?

Mancala is a generic name for this type of “count and capture” game and stems from the Arabic word which means “to move.” Examples of this game have been found in Egyptian ruins dated from 1400 B.C.E. — carved into the temple roofs of Memphis, Thebes and Luxor.

What was the purpose of mancala?

Objective. The objective of most two- and three-row mancala games is to capture more stones than the opponent; in four-row games, one usually seeks to leave the opponent with no legal move or sometimes to capture all counters in their front row.

Is mancala the oldest game in the world?

Mancala is one of the oldest known two-player board games in the world, believed to have been created in ancient times. There is archeological and historical evidence that dates Mancala back to the year 700 AD in East Africa.

Is mancala a black game?

This dark stained African stone game (mancala) is solid wood and folds in half with a piano style hinge. The magnetic closure holds the board closed and keeps the vibrantly colored glass pieces inside. Some historians say that mancala is the oldest game in the world.

How to Play Mancala

What is the most popular mancala game?

The best known traditional mancala games are Oware, Congkak/Sungka, Toguz Kumalak and Bao. The most successful modern game is Kalah, in America often just called "Mancala".

Did slaves play mancala?

An African game that has world-wide popularity, Mancala, was likely also played by enslaved Africans in the Americas, though the game leaves few archaeological markers. These games functioned as both a medium for leisure time activities and a means of negotiating the social world for the enslaved.

What skills does mancala teach?

It also teaches thinking, planning, strategy skills and logic building as students learn to recognize patterns. Mancala facilitates memory, observation and concentration skills, and promotes face to face social interaction, all of which can be areas of difficulty for children with learning disabilities.

What age is appropriate for mancala?

Basics of Mancala

Age Range: It is appropriate for ages eight and above. Playing Time: It takes about 15 minutes to play a game, perfect for a coffee break. Genre: Mancala is an abstract board game.

Is mancala an easy game?

Mancala is really an easy game to play. Players decide who goes first using whatever method they want; Rock-Paper-Scissors, coin flip, loser-of-last-game-goes-first, whatever.

What are the pebbles in mancala called?

48 colored plastic pieces (also called “stones”) Set Up: The Mancala board is made up of two rows of six pockets (also called “holes,” or “pits”) each. Four pieces are placed in each of the 12 pockets. The color of the pieces is irrelevant.

What are the holes in mancala called?

The game board is made of 2 rows of 6 small holes known as “pockets”, and large holes on opposite ends called “mancalas” or “stores”.

Is Mancala a math game?

All the variations of Mancala involve rich mathematical ideas. Two players sit in front of a board with six cups on each side, as well as a larger cup, known as the mancala, on ether end of the board.

What is the best strategy to win Mancala?

Is Mancala a skill game?

Mancala is, in every sense, a game of pure skill and strategy. Each sowing must be calculated in terms Of how it affects your ability to capture the stones in your opponent's cups and in terms of how it affects your opponent's ability to capture the stones in your pits.

Is Mancala good for your brain?

Board games, in general, seem to have a positive impact on long-term brain health. Mancala does as well. Critical thinking skills don't only help children. Everyone could use a good dose of brain-boosting activity like what mancala provides.

Is Mancala good for adults?

Mancala is an old family game that originated in Africa about 4,000 years ago and is also known as the sowing game or the count-and-capture game. Mancala is suitable for adults and children alike, so it's the perfect addition to the family room.

What is cheating in mancala?

Jurij Nold described that in the early 1990s cheating often occured in Toguz Kumalak tournaments in Kazakhstan. Master players would stand behind the back of team mates and knock on their shoulders to indicate the correct move (e.g. knocked twice to hint to hole two).

What is the oldest game?

The Royal Game of Ur is the oldest playable boardgame in the world, originating around 4,600 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. The game's rules were written on a cuneiform tablet by a Babylonian astronomer in 177 BC.

Is mancala a girls game?

In certain areas it is a man's game, in others, men don't deign to play, making it a female game. Although mancala games have educational value in teaching arithmetic skills, some places forbid boys or girls from playing. The Wolof of Senegal, for example, traditionally forbid non-initiated boys from playing.

Who is the king of Mancala?

Owela, which can be played on four rows of more than twenty holes, is the king of mancala in the sand.

Can you win in Mancala on the first play?

Is There a First-Player Advantage? (You Bet!) You know how some games have a first-player advantage? It turns out that in Mancala, you can find a way not only to win (which is nice), but to win all the marbles (awesome), and to do so on your very first move! Let the Battle of the First Move play itself out!

Does mancala have another name?

Mancala is a family of board games played around the world, sometimes called sowing games or count and capture games, which comes from the general gameplay. The games of this family best known in the Western world are Oware, Kalah, Sungka and Omweso, and Bao.