1. Tâb is played on a 4-by-10 rectangular board.

2. Tâb requires casting sticks. You can use 4 dice; odd numbers representing 1 and even numbers 0. Moves are calculated as the sum of the dice (1 through 4). If a throw shows 4 even numbers, the score is 6.

3. A throw of 1 is a tâb.

4. Each player selects 10 BEADs the colour of their choice.

5. BEADs are placed on the longer row closest to the player.

6. The first player to role a tâb begins.

1. All BEADs are inactive until a tâb is rolled. If a player has any inactive BEADs and rolls a tâb, they must activate BEADs.

2. Players continue to throw the dice, noting the scores, until they roll a 2 or 3 and then decide how they wish to use all their moves. Each roll can be used on a different BEAD and the moves can occur in any order.

3. A player can choose not to move any BEADs.

4. BEADs continue right along the row closest to the player and then left along the second row, and right along the third row. Players can choose to either continue circling the second and third row or can enter their opponent’s row.

5. Each BEAD may only enter their opponent’s row once.

6. A BEAD can only leave their opponent’s row if there are no more BEADs on the player’s row.

7. If a player lands on a square occupied by their own BEAD, the BEADs are stacked and can only be split with a tâb. There is no limit to the size of a stack.

8. Players capture BEADs by landing on a square occupied by their opponent’s BEAD, including stacks.

9. Should a stack move from the third row back to the second row, it is reduced to 1 BEAD.

10. A stack of BEADs can enter the opponent’s row, but can only leave as single BEADs.

11. A player cannot return BEADs to their row.

12. Captured BEADs, or BEADs forfeited to move a stack backwards, are removed from the board.

To win the game, a player must capture all their opponent’s BEADs.

1. Tâb is the Egyptian name of a running-fight board game played in many Arab countries, and a family of similar board games played in Northern Africa and South-western Asia, from Persia to West Africa and from Turkey to Somalia, where a variant called deleb is played.

2. The origins of Tâb are unclear. It was first mentioned in 1310, and some of the words used for the game (tâb,- the throwing sticks; seega - the board) appear to be of Eastern origin.

3. Tâb was a game popular with the poorer class of people in Egypt. It was last noted in the 1820s by Lane, an English traveller. It is from the account of Lane that the game has started to become more popular, appearing in the books by Murray, Bell and Parlett in the 20th century.