How to Play Mangala

What is mangala?

Mangala is a strategy game for two players and one of the oldest games in Türkiye — it is taught in schools today. The aim is to collect more stones in your treasury than your opponent. There are no dice and no luck: everything depends on which pit you choose.

This page describes the mangala played here. It is standard Turkish Mangala, and every rule below is what the engine enforces.

The board

Six pits face each other on each side, with a treasury at either end. Each pit starts with 4 stones; the treasuries start empty. On screen your pits are always the bottom row and your treasury is on the right.

Making a move

You pick one of your own pits and its stones are sown:

• If the pit holds more than one stone, one stone stays in the pit and the rest are sown one by one, anticlockwise.
• If the pit holds a single stone, nothing stays behind — it goes straight into the next pit.
• Sowing passes through your own treasury and skips your opponent's — you never put a stone there.

Where did the last stone land?

• In your own treasury: you move again. The turn does not pass.
• In one of your opponent's pits, making it an even number: you take all the stones in that pit into your treasury.
• In an empty pit of your own: if the pit directly opposite holds stones, you take those and your own stone into your treasury.
• Otherwise the move ends and the turn passes.

How the game ends

The game ends when one player's pits are completely empty. The remaining stones belong to their owner: the player who still has stones takes them into their own treasury.

Whoever has more stones wins. Equal counts are a draw. If the gap passes a set threshold the win counts as a gammon and is worth more in a scored match.

Playing here

When it is your turn, the pits you may play are highlighted; click one to sow. See Playing games here for finding an opponent.