The Daily Mancala challenge for September 11, 2026: same opponent, same starting side, for every player in the world.
Friday begins the hard stretch: the computer now plans several moves ahead.
This is the September 11, 2026 edition — challenge #42 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 punishing play: the hard setting converts every loose sow, so verify each landing pit before you commit.
The archive holds 41 earlier boards. Refresh the capture rule in the how-to-play guide before you sow, or replay earlier challenges once this board is banked.