You’ll need
Setting up
Place the board between the two players. Each player has six small pits in front of them and one large store to their right. Put four stones in each small pit.
The story of the game
Mangala stands a little apart in this atlas: it works on counting and planning rather than the feet. A quiet break at the end of a busy day. The lid of the Gioco No.1 Mangala box has twelve pits, so once the shoes are out, the box becomes a board.
How to play
- On your turn, take all the stones from one pit on your side.
- Drop one of them back into the pit you took them from, then sow the rest one by one into the following pits, anticlockwise.
- If your last stone lands in your own store, you play again.
- If your last stone lands in one of your opponent’s pits and makes the number of stones there even, you take all of them and put them in your store.
- The game ends when one player’s side runs out of stones; the player with the most stones in their store wins.
Variations (2)
- For little ones, just the sowing rule: count the stones out as you sow them. Where did the last one land?
- Play on the floor, sitting cross-legged; rather than sitting still for a long time, get up and swap places after each round.
For parents
To be honest, mangala does nothing for foot health, but it is good for a calm family moment. That’s why we included it in the atlas. Don’t use small stones with children under 3.
What to wear on their feet
None needed.
Safety
The stones are small parts; keep them where children under 3 can’t reach them. Always play these games with an adult watching, in a way that suits your child’s age and the surface underfoot. Keep games with small pieces (marbles, five stones, mangala) away from children under 3.
