Mancala: The Ancient Pebble-Capturing Board Game Played Worldwide

The game you're describing is Mancala—a family of "count-and-capture" board games played across Africa, the Caribbean, South Asia, and the Middle East for centuries.

Core Gameplay

• Board: 2 rows of 6–12 pits (holes) + 1 large "store" (mancala) at each end.
• Pieces: Seeds, stones, beads, or cowrie shells (typically 48 total).
• Turn: Pick up all seeds from one of your pits, sow one per pit counter-clockwise.
• Capture: Varies by variant (e.g., Kalah: land in empty own pit → capture opposite; Oware: land on 2/3 in opponent's pit → capture).
• Goal: Collect more seeds in your store than opponent.

Popular Variants

• Kalah (US "Mancala" standard, 6 pits, simpler)
• Oware (Ghana, competitive standard, 6 pits, deeper strategy)
• Bao (East Africa, 8 pits, complex rules)
• Congkak (SE Asia, 7 pits, simultaneous play)

All share the "sow and capture" loop. Cheap to make (egg carton + beans), infinite depth.