Ashtapada

Ashtapada

Like a chess board, the Ashtāpada board is divided into an eight-by-eight grid of squares, although they are all the same color. The board has special markings known as “castles”, where pieces are safe from being captured or removed from play when mating with an opponent. Each player receives an even number of pieces to play the game. The goal is to move a piece around the board clockwise, entering the castle, and to regain his castle back in a counterclockwise direction so as to make it reach the center. A variant played on a larger ten-by-ten board is known as Daśapada