Lapping
📋 What it is
"Lapping" is when a pit holds enough seeds to travel all the way around the board and beyond.
🗣️ Coach says
A pit with a LOT of seeds (13 or more on a standard board) will sow all the way around and start a second lap, dropping a second seed into some pits. Big-lapping pits are powerful but tricky — you must count carefully to see exactly where that final seed lands after going around.
🧠 Memory hook
A pit with 13+ seeds laps the whole board. Count carefully — it goes around and beyond.
😂 Giggle
Why did the player always leave a seed for the opponent?
Because you can't win by starving the board — you've got to keep the game fed!
😲 Whoa!
A single pit can build up so many seeds that sowing it takes it around the board more than once — the "big pit" is a powerful stored-up weapon if you time its release.
✅ Quick check: What is "lapping" in mancala?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
When a pit holds enough seeds to sow all the way around the board and continue into a second lap, adding a second seed to some pits.
Lapping happens when a pit's seed count exceeds the number of pits it sows into.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Fill one pit with 14 seeds and sow it — watch it travel around the board and past the start.