Kalah (Cursor Magazine)

KALAH... This game from Africa has a long and distinguished history. The basic idea is very simple: you and your opponent each try to gather the most stones into your 'Kalah'. Each player has 6 "pits" and 1 "Kalah". The pits are in rows, opposite each other, with the Kalahs at either end. At the start of the game, each pit is filled with a certain number of stones, which you may choose, or let the Pet choose for you. You start the game by choosing a

pit, gathering aH the stones from that pit, and then dropping them one by one counter-clockwise into your pits, your Kalah, and then your opponent's pits (but never into your opponent's Kalah). The turns alternate between players until all of the pits on one side are empty. At this point, the remaining stones are placed into the remaining player's Kalah, the stones in each Kalah are totaled, and the player with the most stones wins!

There are some interesting twists! For instance, if the last stone you drop lands in your Kalah, then you get an extra turn. Also, if your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side, then the stones in that pit and the pit opposite (on your opponent's side) are all placed in your Kalah. (Watch out, the computer is great at that last one!).