Sungka, sometimes called Kunggit, is a “Mancala” game—essentially a game of counting and capturing pieces. The earliest mentions of Sungka date back to the 16th century, but it is estimated that it has been played for much longer.

What makes it especially fun is its simplicity and accessibility. For an island nation like the Philippines, it was easy to play by hollowing out a wooden plank and using seashells as pieces.

Sungka remains very popular wherever there is a significant Filipino population. It is so popular in the Philippines that competitions are often organised, with serious cash prizes up for grabs.

Interestingly, Sungka is also used by some fortune tellers in the Philippines, and there is a belief that it should always be played outdoors. According to superstition, playing Sungka indoors could invite evil spirits.

Enough history then, lets find out how the game is played:

Setup:

It’s very simple. All you need is a long board with two rows of seven pits, called houses. There are also two large pits, one at each end of the board, known as the “head” or the “store.”

The game can be played with seashells or pebbles, which are called counters. Each player owns the store on their right side, where they collect their counters. Every pit is filled with seven counters to start the game.

All pita are filled with 7 counters each to start the game

How to play

The game is played with two players. Players begin to rearrange the counters by starting from one pit in the counterclockwise direction and put one counter on each successive pit. You should rearrange sequentially into each pit including the opponent’s pit except for the opponent’s store

Now then here is when things get interesting:

1. If the last counters falls into your non empty pit then you continue to pick counters and move anticlockwise, the turn does not end
2. If the last counter falls in to your store you get an extra chance which you can begin from any of the pits on your side
3. If the last counter fall into an empty pit that belongs to you, then you capture all the counters from the exact opposite opponent’s pit and your own pit to move all those counters to your store
4. If the last counter fall into an empty pit that belongs to the opponent, you’re your turn ends
5. If a player has no pieces to his side of the board, they must pass

The game ends when there are pieces left on either side of the board

Winning: Whoever has the most counters in their store at the end of the game is the winner.

Go on then! What are you waiting for?