How to Play Dara
Dara is played by the Dakarkari of north-western Nigeria, usually in holes scooped in the sand. It looks like a bigger tic-tac-toe, but the placing phase is where it is won: you are building the lines you will complete later.
The board and pieces
A 5×6 board and twelve pieces each.
Placing
Players alternate placing one piece on any empty square until all twenty-four are down. Lines made during this phase count for nothing.
Moving and capturing
- White (the first to place) moves first. A piece moves one square up, down, left or right into an empty square.
- If the move makes a line of exactly three pieces in a row or column, the mover removes any one enemy piece.
- Four or more in a line is not a three.
Ending
A player reduced to two pieces loses, as does a player with no legal move. Sixty moves without a capture is a draw.
Playing on kawu
Tap an empty square to place; tap a piece then a square to move; after a three, tap the enemy piece to remove. Hint shows the hard computer's choice. Play either colour against three levels, or two players on one device.
Next: Dara strategy.
Frequently asked questions
Do three in a row count during the placing phase?
No. Lines made while placing earn nothing. Only a line of exactly three completed by a move earns a capture, and a line left over from placing counts only once a piece moves out and back in.
Does a line of four count?
No. It must be exactly three. Four in a row is a wasted formation; many players deliberately break a four into a three.
Can a move make two threes at once?
Yes, one in its row and one in its column, but you still remove just one piece.
Last updated 2026-10-21