Bihar

How to play Bihar?

It has been played for centuries in Bihar, Anatolia; It is a traditional board game, also known as "Derya Deniz" or "Dümen" among the public. Each player plays with 16 tiles on 1 point in the middle and 4 concentric rings surrounding it (33 points in total). Eating is a MUST, similar to Turkish Checkers, but what makes Bihar special is the "wheel" shape of the board: pieces can bounce and eat both along the ring and towards/across the centre.

1. The board consists of 1 dot in the middle + 4 concentric rings surrounding it (33 dots). Each player starts with 16 tiles arranged on half of the board, leaving the center empty.
2. You can move the piece to an empty adjacent spot (next to it on the ring, or on a beam towards the center/outwards).
3. EAT: if there is an empty spot directly behind an adjacent opponent's piece (across the ring, towards/out of the center, or RIGHT AGAINST the center), you can jump over it and eat it.
4. You MUST play — if you have a take move, you can't play another tile or just swipe.
5. After eating with a stone, if you have another bait move with the same stone, you have to continue jumping.
6. You win if you capture all your opponent's pieces or if the opponent cannot make any moves.

Bihar strategy tips

• The center point is where all lines intersect; Controlling the center is critical in both defense and attack.
• Keep the stones arranged consecutively on the ring without leaving any space between them; emptiness invites chain eating.
• You can trap the opponent with the forced capture rule: sacrifice a piece and get a chain response.

Bihar history

It is a traditional board game, also known as "Derya Deniz" or "Dümen" in Bihar and Anatolia. Its 33-point "wheel"-shaped board, consisting of a center dot and four concentric rings, distinguishes it from other checkers games.

Each player has 16 tiles; Eating is mandatory and chain eating must be continued. Thanks to the rings and lines passing through the center, pieces can attack from unexpected angles.

Other names: Derya Deniz, Rudder, Bihar game