The mancala game is known to be the oldest board game in the world. A group of games that originates from Africa, mancala games can easily be played with whatever medium happens to be around.

MANCALA GAMES ORIGINATED IN AFRICA

Back in the ancient days of Africa, people often played mancala games with pebbles or stones, using hollow holes scooped out of the soil. These pebbles or stones are placed in, or moved around clockwise, from hole to hole and accumulated by each player, during the game play.

Stone Mancala boards have been found carved into the roofs of temples in Memphis, Thebes and Luxor - the game was definitely being played in Egypt before 1400BC.

Later on, the use of specially carved wooden boards emerged with the use of beads, large seeds, beans, cowries or other seashells, depending on the geographical location of the players.

Despite its age and its primitive origins, the mancala game is a  mathematical game of tactics, and some of its more complex versions have as much and as wide a scope as the Chess game.

The objective of mancala games is to capture more beads (or seeds) than your opponent , leaving your opponent with no legal move, and your side must be the first to be empty in order to win the game.

The mancala game is played on a solid wooden board consisting of 2 rows (ranks). Each row has 6 pits, making a total of 12 holes. There are 2 store pits at each end of the board, and these stores are used to hold the winnings of each of the 2 players.

You begin the game by filling each hole with 4 beads or seeds. A player then picks up seeds from a cup and redistributes clockwise, one at a time, into other cups around the board.

A few simple rules govern which cups a player can drop a bead into and when a player's turn is over. You or your opponent must accumulate the most beads to win the game.

There are many variations to this board game. Some can have more rows,  and thus more holes on either side. This is referred to as the 4 rank Mancala board. The 4 rank mancala game is player by 4 players.

Traditionally, the Mancala boards were not carved out very intricately. Some games were played with holes dug in the earth, or holes carved out of stone. Now, the mancala board game mostly comes as a hinged case that can be conveniently opened and closed.  It needs to unfold to enable you place the beads or seeds, and start the game. 

Today, you will still find Mancala boards in many African and Asian homes, many decades old, that have become smooth and worn by so many years of play. These are mostly relics of the past, with some being invaluable and considered as heirlooms.

COPYRIGHT

Hub Pages Author - Viryabo

All rights reserved. This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form or way.