Dhayam Rules
The Tamil race round a cross — cut a piece, or you cannot go home.
Dhayam (தாயம், also Dayakattam) is the Tamil cross-board race, thrown with the same brass sticks as Paramapadham. Four arms around a gold middle, four pieces a seat, and one rule that makes it a game of judgement rather than luck: until you have cut an opponent’s piece, none of yours may turn for home.
Ways to play Dhayam
Two to four at the board
Play Dhayam against the computer with one, two or three others at the board. Every seat is filled, so a game always starts.
Online with friends and family
Create a board, share the code, and play together on the same board. Online games count towards your rating and My Stats.
Picked up where you left it
Close the tab mid-game and come back to it — the game is kept in your browser, on the board you were playing.
No ads, ever
No advertising, no interruption, nothing to dismiss. The same promise as every Vanikar™ game.
🎯 Objective
Bring all four of your pieces into the middle of the cross, each on the exact throw — but cut at least one enemy piece first.
🎲 Dhayam setup
- The board is a cross: a square in the middle and four arms, each three columns wide and six squares long.
- Each seat has four pieces, waiting on the diamond at the end of its own arm.
- The square at the end of every arm is marked with a cross. Those four are safe squares.
- Two to four play, and the computer takes any seat you leave.
▶ How to play Dhayam
- Throw the two stick dice. A dayam — a one — brings a waiting piece onto the first square of your own column.
- Once your first piece is on, a five brings another one on as well.
- A throw of 1, 5, 6 or 12 earns another throw, once it has been played — or even if it could not be.
- One piece plays the whole throw: down your own middle column to the end of your arm, and then round the cross.
- Land on a square where another seat’s piece stands and you cut it: it goes back to its diamond to wait for another dayam, and you throw again.
- A piece standing on one of the four crossed squares cannot be cut.
- Until you have cut a piece, yours cannot turn for home: a piece reaching the end of your arm again goes round the cross a second time.
- The middle is entered on the exact throw. A throw too large leaves the piece where it stands.
📖 Detailed guide
The cross, and the way round it
- A gold square in the middle and four arms, three squares wide and six long, with each seat’s diamond at the end of its own arm.
- A piece comes on at the top of its own middle column and goes down it to the end of the arm.
- From there it goes round the cross, arm by arm, until it comes back to its own.
- The square at the end of every arm carries a cross: a piece standing on it is safe from being cut.
Cutting, and why it is the whole game
- Landing on an enemy piece sends it back to its diamond, where it waits for another dayam to come on again.
- A cut earns you another throw straight away.
- Until you have cut at least one piece, none of yours may turn into the middle — a piece that reaches the end of its arm goes round again instead.
- That single rule turns a race into a hunt: you cannot win by running, only by taking.
Reading the sticks
- The dayakattai throw 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12 — and nothing between 6 and 12.
- Three and four come up most often; twelve and one are the rarest.
- So the dangerous distance in front of an enemy piece is one to six, and seven to eleven is out of reach.
- A throw that can only be played one way is played for you.
🏁 How Dhayam is won
The first seat to bring all four of its pieces into the middle wins. Cutting is not optional in practice — without one cut, no piece of yours can ever finish.
❓ Dhayam — frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Dhayam?
Dhayam is played by 2–4. Seats you do not fill are taken by the computer, so a game always starts.
When can I play Dhayam?
Dhayam is in development. It will arrive in Board Games by Vanikar™ and is included in the same subscription as the card games, with nothing separate to buy.
Is Dhayam included in my subscription?
Yes. One Card Games by Vanikar™ subscription covers the card games, Chess & Checkers and the board games, and every game released after them.
Does Dhayam have ads?
No. No Vanikar™ game has ever carried advertising, and none ever will.
Why can my piece not go home?
Because you have not cut an enemy piece yet. In Dhayam a seat must cut at least one piece before any of its own may turn for the middle; until then a piece that reaches the end of your arm simply goes round the cross again.
What happens when my piece is cut?
It goes back to its diamond and waits for another dayam — a throw of one — to bring it on again. The seat that cut it throws again immediately.
Are there safe squares?
Yes — the square at the end of each of the four arms is marked with a cross, and a piece standing on one cannot be cut.
How is it different from Paramapadham?
Only the dice are shared. Paramapadham is a hundred-square climb with ladders and snakes; Dhayam is a race round a cross with four pieces a seat, cutting, safe squares and an exact finish into the middle.