1. Dara is played on a 5-by-6 grid with 30 play squares.

2. Each player selects 12 BEADs the colour of their choice. BEADs start off the board.

3. Players decide who begins the game by rolling a die.

1. In turns, each player places 1 of their BEADs onto an empty square.

2. Once all the BEADs have been played, players can start to move their BEADs onto an adjacent empty square either horizontally or vertically.

3. If a player can form a line of 3 BEADs (diagonals do not count) they can capture any of their opponent’s BEADs.

4. If a single move allows a player to form 2 lines of 3 BEADs, they can only capture 1 of their opponent’s BEADs.

5. Players cannot make lines of 4, 5, or 6 BEADs at any time during the game.

6. Lines of 3 BEADs can be made during the placement of BEADs on the board but do not result in a capture.

7. Captured BEADs are removed from the board.

To win the game, a player needs to capture 10 of their opponent’s BEADs, so that their opponent can no longer make captures.

1. Dara is a row-building game originating in North Africa. There is an intriguing family of games known as shiva, which are played across the Sahara and neighbouring parts of North Africa.

2. Dara is the most well-known game from this family. It is played by the Dakarkari people of Nigeria, and by the name of dra by the Tamacheq people of the Sahara. This particular game was first recorded around 1950, so it's not very old.