How to play
Kızma Birader translates roughly as “don’t get angry, brother”; that’s the mood at the table when a piece gets knocked back. It’s the local version of the cross-shaped race game sold elsewhere as Ludo or Mensch ärgere dich nicht. Four colours take part: you are red, and the computer runs Green, Yellow and Blue. Turns go clockwise.
The board has a ring of 40 squares. Each colour owns a yard (four pieces waiting in its corner), a start square just outside the yard, and a home row of four squares leading toward the centre. Your goal is to walk all four pieces once round the ring and into that home row before anyone else does.
A turn. When the status line says “Your turn: tap the die to roll”, press the die. Pieces that can legally move with that number glow; tap one to move it. If exactly one piece can move, the game moves it for you.
Leaving the yard. A piece only comes out on a 6, and it lands on your start square. This is compulsory: if you roll a 6 while pieces are still in the yard and your start square isn’t already occupied by one of your own, you must bring a new piece out rather than move another one.
Clearing the start square. As long as pieces wait in the yard, a red piece sitting on your start square must move off first whenever it can.
Moving. Pieces travel forward the exact number shown. You may never land on a square holding one of your own pieces. Landing exactly on an opponent sends that piece back to its yard. Passing over pieces, yours or theirs, is fine on the ring.
Sixes. After you move with a 6 you roll again. A 6 that can’t be used gives no bonus roll.
Three tries. If none of your pieces is out on the 40-square ring (all of them are in the yard, or some are tucked into the home row), you get up to three rolls to find a 6. The status line says “No piece can move: roll again” while tries remain.
Getting home
After a full lap, a piece leaves the ring and turns into your home row. Here the rules tighten:
- You need the exact count. A roll that would overshoot the last home square can’t be used by that piece.
- You can’t jump over your own pieces inside the home row, and you can’t land on one either. Fill the row from the deepest square outward or you may lock a piece behind another.
- Pieces in the home row are safe. Nobody else can enter your row.
The first player with all four pieces home wins; press Play again for a fresh board.
Strategy
The maths of the yard is unforgiving. Each roll has a 1 in 6 chance of being a 6, so with three tries you have about a 42% chance (1 − (5/6)³) of getting a piece out on a turn when the ring is empty. So keep at least one piece circulating at all times.
Spread your choices. Two or three pieces on the ring mean almost every roll has a useful move. A single runner is forced to take whatever the die says, including steps that land it right in front of a rival.
Count the danger zone. An opponent piece one to six squares behind yours can hit it with a single roll. When you have a choice, move a threatened piece out of reach, or place a piece where no enemy is within six behind it.
Weigh the hit. Knocking back a piece that has nearly finished its lap costs its owner dozens of squares. Hitting one that just left its yard costs them only a 6. If capturing means leaving your own runner exposed, the cheap hit often isn’t worth it.
Respect start squares. Every colour’s start square is a trap for anyone standing on it: an opponent with pieces in the yard sends you home simply by rolling a 6. Hurry past other colours’ start squares.
Plan the home row early. Since you need exact rolls and can’t jump your own pieces there, send the first piece to the far end of the row rather than parking it on the first home square.
For another Turkish classic with a very different feel, try the seed-sowing game Mangala.
If you enjoy Kızma Birader, try Liar’s Dice or Lines of Action next.
