One of the most important tips that you can take as a beginner at Mancala is understanding the fact that it belongs to the family of count and capture games. By this, we mean that there is no room for “chance” or “luck” while playing the game.

This implies that the outcome of the game is totally Dependant upon the way a player plays the game in comparison to his opponent.

The game is usually a two player game in most of its versions, and depending upon the variant of the game being played, the “counting elements” (like beads, pebbles and even goat feces in some cases) are distributed among the players.

Both the players are provided with a fixed number of depressions on each side of the board (and the number of depressions for each player are the same).

The game is played when each player completes a round in a particular direction using the counting elements he has with him. He also captures the counting elements of the opponent using his own pebbles.

The capture is made on the basis of the pebble count in the depressions of the opponent and because of this nature only, Mancala games are commonly referred to as count and capture games.

The players are supposed to collect all the counting elements that they have (their own and captured) and save them in a “store”, which is commonly called the Kalaha or the Mancala. The player who has the maximum number of beads in the end wins.

The manner in which moves can be made and the rules for capturing an opponent’s pebbles vary from game to game and this fact has led to the development of more than 200 variants of Mancala games.

Since Mancala games are mathematical in nature, as a novice, you would need to log in different moves. The hard part is that you are not supposed to use any outer assistance in counting the pebbles in a depression (and counting is one of the most important aspects of playing Mancala games) and in logging the sequence of moves that have been made by you or your opponent.

You would need to develop the knack of remembering these moves and also being able to count the number of beads in a given depression without touching them. Being able to estimate the number of pebbles without touching them with your hands (as capturing requires that your opponent should have a fixed number of pebbles in his depression, usually 2 or 3 at a time) is the single most important aspect of playing the game.

In case you are not good at estimation, you should try and remember the sequence of moves being made by your opponent in order to determine the number of pebbles in hid buckets.

Using mathematical logic and subtracting the pebbles your opponent has moved from those that are lying in his bucket is one of the most certain ways of determining the number of pebbles in your opponent’s buckets, accurately.

Therefore, as a beginner at Mancala, you should learn the mathematical nature of the game and develop the knack of making the winning move after adjudging different aspects of the game, based on logic.

There are numerous strategies for different versions of Mancala games. Experts at different games might have evolved hundreds of strategies of their own over the years, but there are some golden thumb rules that serve as the elementary building blocks of any Mancala game.

Such rules are based on the mathematical nature of the game and therefore, these are some of the most sure-shot ways of succeeding at the game.

First and foremost, you should ensure that you do not get over aggressive while playing any Mancala game. Undue aggression can lead you into starving, which can be a suicidal for your game.

Besides, being overly defensive can also lead you into stuffing yourself. Being stuffed is not a bad thing, but this would elongate the game unnecessarily and might result into your loosing out on patience.

Besides, having too many beads on the board can also cause confusion about the number of beads in a given particular hole and this can lead you into making fatal mistakes at times.

The best way to strike a chord in such an event is to make such a move that would ultimately result in the maximum number of beads to go into your Mancala (or larger hole).

Once a stone is in the Mancala, you would not have to keep a count of it, thereby decreasing the number of pits you need to keep a track of.

Besides, the main objective of the game is to have as many stones in your Mancala as possible, therefore, this is a sure-shot strategy to set the pace in the game early on.

You can also plan your moves such that you get another chance to score a stone in your Mancala with every move you make. That is, make a move such that on every move, you score a stone in your Mancala, thereby winning another chance to make a move.

This can be a suicidal strategy at times, since it might lead you into exhausting all the stones on your side of the board. This would enable you opponent to capture all your stones on his side of the board and this might ultimately result in his stone count to be higher than yours.

You should try and elongate the game for as long as you can keep a track of it. Making defensive moves such as placing your stones into the empty pits of your opponent would ensure that you keep the board clean and manageable while ensuring the safety of your stones.

You should make a move such that it reduces the chances of your opponent to capture a stone on your side of the board.

While planning on a defensive strategy, you should make some moves (one in five) such that you are able to capture your opponent’s stones in order to lead the game.

This, as already mentioned, should not be overdone as it might lead you into getting confused. Keep on top of the game and know the reason for each and every move you are making- this is the best way to maintain a winning momentum throughout the game.