Congkak · Rules guide
Congkak rules: how to play
Sow the seeds clockwise, take another turn when the last seed lands in your store, and capture the pile opposite when it lands in an empty house of yours — plus how congkak differs from Kalah.
The short answer
- Each player owns the row nearest them and the storehouse on their left.
- Sow seeds one at a time clockwise, including your own store but skipping your opponent's.
- A last seed in your store earns another turn; chains of free turns decide games.
- A last seed in an empty house on your side captures it and the house directly opposite.
- In congkak, a last seed in an occupied house relays — scoop up and keep sowing. In Kalah, the turn ends.
The board, the seeds and the object
Congkak is the Malay world's version of mancala — the great family of sowing games. A board has two rows of small houses and a large storehouse at each end. You scoop up the seeds from one of your houses and drop them one at a time around the board, and the aim is simply to finish with more seeds in your store than your opponent has in theirs.
- Your row is the one nearest you, and your storehouse is the one on your left.
- Every house starts with the same number of seeds — usually seven on a seven-house board.
- Sowing runs clockwise, dropping one seed per hole, including your own store but skipping your opponent's.
What happens on a turn
Pick up all the seeds from one of your own houses and sow them one at a time into the following holes. What happens next depends entirely on where the last seed falls.
| The last seed lands… | What happens |
|---|---|
| In your own storehouse | You take another turn. |
| In an occupied house | Congkak: scoop those seeds up and keep sowing — a relay that can run for laps. (In Kalah, the turn simply ends.) |
| In an empty house on your side | You capture that seed and every seed in the house directly opposite, straight into your store. |
| In an empty house on your side, opposite empty | Nothing is captured and your turn ends. |
| In an empty house on your opponent's side | Your turn ends — the seed has "died". |
That relay rule is what separates true congkak from the simplified Kalah version sold in Western shops. In congkak a single turn can circle the board several times, which makes each move a genuine calculation rather than a guess.
Captures and free turns
The two ways to score are free turns and captures, and good players chain them.
The free turn
If your last seed drops into your storehouse, you go again. Two or three free turns in a row are common, and a long chain can empty half your row into your store before your opponent moves.
The capture
If your last seed lands in an empty house on your own side, you take it along with everything in the house directly opposite. A big pile facing an empty house of yours is the most valuable target on the board.
When the game ends
The game ends as soon as one row is empty. Each player then adds any seeds left on their own side to their store, and the higher total wins.
Congkak, Kalah, Sungka and the wider family
Mancala is not one game but hundreds. The versions you are most likely to meet:
| Game | Where | Distinctive rules |
|---|---|---|
| Congkak / congklak | Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei | Relay sowing; five or seven houses a side; often played simultaneously at the start. |
| Sungka | Philippines | Very close to congkak, usually seven houses with seven shells. |
| Dakon | Java | The same game under its Javanese name, with strong ritual associations. |
| Kalah | Western commercial sets | No relay — the turn ends when the last seed lands in an occupied house. |
| Oware / Awalé | West Africa, Caribbean | Capture on making two or three seeds in an enemy house; no storehouse sowing. |
| Bao | East Africa | Four rows, hugely complex, the deepest game of the family. |
The difference between congkak and Kalah is the single most important thing to settle before playing: the relay changes everything about how a turn is calculated.
Common questions
How many seeds are in congkak?
Usually seven in each of the fourteen houses — 98 in total on the standard seven-house board. Five-house boards with five seeds each are also common for a quicker game.
Do you sow into your opponent's storehouse?
No. You sow into every hole you pass, including your own store, but you always skip your opponent's store.
What is the difference between congkak and Kalah?
The relay. In congkak, a last seed landing in an occupied house means you scoop those seeds up and keep sowing. In Kalah the turn simply ends there, which makes it a much shallower game.
How do you capture in congkak?
By ending your sowing in an empty house on your own side. You take that seed plus everything in the house directly opposite. If the opposite house is empty, you capture nothing.
When does a game of congkak end?
As soon as one player's row is empty. Each player then adds the seeds remaining on their side to their own store, and the higher total wins.
Is congkak the same as sungka?
Nearly. Sungka is the Philippine version and congklak the Indonesian one; the rules differ only in small details, and both belong to the mancala family.
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