Support

How can we help?

How to play, answers to common questions, and a way to reach us if you’re still stuck.

Why can’t I sow that pit?

You can only sow your own pits, and only ones that hold stones. Your playable pits glow on your turn. Stores can’t be sown.

Why do I get another turn?

If the last stone you sow lands in your own store, you go again. Planning moves that end in your store, one after another, is the heart of good Mancala.

How do captures work?

If your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side, you capture it plus every stone in the pit directly across the board, as long as that pit has stones in it. A sowing that goes all the way round the board and lands back in the pit you started from counts too.

When does the game end?

As soon as one side’s six pits are all empty. Each player then moves the stones left on their own side into their own store, and the bigger store wins.

Can I speed up the sowing?

Yes. In Settings, choose Relaxed, Quick or Instant sowing. You can also tap the board while stones are moving to jump straight to the end of the move.

How do the computer levels differ?

Pebble (easy) picks any move, which makes it good for learning. River (normal) looks a couple of moves ahead and grabs extra turns and captures. Mountain (hard) searches much deeper and plays the endgame perfectly.

Can I change the number of stones?

Yes. Settings lets you start new games with three to six stones per pit. Four is standard; more stones mean longer, swingier games.

How does undo work against the computer?

In Vs Machine, undo rewinds to your previous move, taking back the computer’s reply too. In Pass & Play, undo takes back the last move.

Does it work with VoiceOver?

Yes. Every pit and store reads out whose it is and how many stones it holds, and each move is described aloud, including captures and extra turns.

Does the app collect my data?

No. There are no ads, accounts or tracking, and nothing leaves your device. See the privacy policy.

How to play

The rules

Setup

Mancala is played on a board of two rows of six pits, with a larger store at each end. Each player owns the six pits on their side and the store to their right. There are two sides: Ember (warm) and Tide (cool). Every pit starts with four stones (you can choose three to six in Settings). Ember moves first.

Modes

Vs Machine: you play Ember against the computer at Pebble (easy), River (normal) or Mountain (hard).
Pass & Play: two people take turns on one iPhone or iPad.

Sowing

On your turn, pick one of your pits that has stones and scoop them all up.
Moving counter-clockwise, drop one stone in each pit that follows, including your own store.
Skip your opponent’s store. With enough stones, sowing carries on round the board onto your side again.

Extra turns and captures

Extra turn: if your last stone lands in your own store, you go again.
Capture: if your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side and the pit opposite has stones, take your stone and all of those into your store.

End of the game

The game ends as soon as either side’s six pits are empty.
Each player adds any stones left on their own side to their store.
The player with more stones in their store wins; equal stores are a draw.

Strategy tips

Count to your store. A pit holding exactly as many stones as it is pits away from your store gives you an extra turn.
Chain your turns. Play the extra-turn pit nearest your store first, so the others still line up.
Watch empty pits. An empty pit on your side, opposite a big pile, is a capture waiting to happen. The same goes for your opponent.

Handy extras

Sowing speed: Relaxed, Quick or Instant, plus tap-to-skip while stones are moving.
Stone counts: numbers on every pit, or switch them off. Stores always show their count.
Undo: take back a move. Against the computer it rewinds to your previous move.
Auto-save: your game is saved after every move and can be resumed from the main menu.