Controls

You play by choosing which of your six pits to sow. Tap a pit, and its seeds are dropped one at a time into the following pits, counterclockwise, including your own store but skipping your opponent's.

Two rules turn counting into rewards:

• The extra turn comes from landing your last seed exactly in your own store. Chaining these together lets you take several moves before passing play.
• The capture happens when your last seed lands in an empty pit on your side. You take that seed and all the seeds in the opposite pit into your store.

You drop a seed in your own store as you pass it, but never in your opponent's, which is a key Kalah rule.

The game ends when one side empties, and the larger store wins. The computer sharpens across eight levels toward near-perfect play.

Tips

• Count to land in your store. Since a last seed in your store grants another turn, count your pits carefully to line up these free moves, which is the single biggest source of an advantage in Kalah.
• Chain your extra turns. One move that ends in your store can set up another that does the same, so look for sequences that let you play several times before your opponent moves.
• Load up your store early. Because you drop a seed in your store every time you pass it, moves from your farther pits quietly bank points, so don't overlook them for the flashier captures.
• Watch for capture threats against you. An empty pit on your opponent's side facing one of your full pits is a capture waiting to happen, so fill or empty the threatened pit before they can strike.
• Calculate, don't guess. Kalah is exact, so every move can be worked out precisely, and taking the extra second to count beats playing on feel, especially against the higher levels.
• Keep seeds on your side late. As the game winds down, holding seeds on your own side gives you moves and control, since when a side empties the game ends and stranded seeds may go to your opponent.

Frequently asked questions