The Daily Mancala challenge for August 12, 2026: same opponent, same starting side, for every player in the world.
Midweek steps up: this opponent takes captures and chains extra turns if you let it.
This is the August 12, 2026 edition — challenge #12 since launch. The setup is fixed for the whole world, which keeps bragging rights honest.
The first sow belongs to the computer today. On this 48-stone deal, exactly one of the six opening sows (pit 3) lands its last stone in the store for a free extra turn, and none of them exposes an immediate capture in reply, so the first exchange is about tempo rather than traps.
Expect a tactical middle game: the medium setting spots one-move threats, so cover the pit opposite your loaded rows.
The archive holds 11 earlier boards. Refresh the capture rule in the how-to-play guide before you sow, or replay earlier challenges once this board is banked.