Figure 1. Initial disposition of the dice.

Premise
The base idea of the game is to cross the rules and the draughtboard with the use of dice instead of pieces.
In fact to play DADAMA you need 12 dice per player and a 8 x 8 draughtboard.
(DADAMA is a synthesis of the Italian words “dado” = dice and “dama” = draughts/checkers – translator’s note.)

The game
The base rules of DADAMA are those of ITALIAN DRAUGHTS: on the site of Federazione Italiana Dama (http://www.fid.it/) you can find the official rules and many other interesting resources (the site is in Italian – t.’s n.).
For example the pieces (i.e. the dice) are placed as in DRAUGHTS (see Figure 1), the moves are only one space in diagonal and only toward the opponent’s side, a legal capture is mandatory and is only toward the opponent’s side, etc.

At the beginning of the game the value on the upper face of all the dice must be 3.
In turn the players move one dice leaving its value unchanged.
When a dice can capture another one, it is thrown.

	Figure 2. A dadama has the chance to capture an opponent dice. The player throws both dice that compose it: if at least one of the dice shows a three or more the dadama must capture.

Only if the obtained number is greater or equal to the value of the dice that you want to take, you capture it. If not, your dice remains in the square where it is, with the new value, and the turn passes to your opponent.
On the contrary of many DRAUGHTS, it is always possible to choose which dice to capture if there are two or more possibilities after you have thrown your dice (see the example in Figure 2).
With regard to multiple captures, after each capture the dice can be thrown again, to see if the value is enough to continue to capture – if not the dice stops in the space where it did the last valid capture.

	Figure 3. It is the turn of the player with white dice. Her dice pointed by the arrow is obliged to try to capture in A or B. The player throws the dice: if she obtains 1 or 2 she cannot capture; if she obtains 3 or 4, she must capture in A. If she obtains 5 or 6 she can choose between capturing in A or in B. After having eaten the 5 dice in A, she can choose if to throw again to try to capture again in C, or to keep the number obtained to defend against a future attack.

The dadamas
Like in DRAUGHTS, when a dice reaches the first row before the opponent, it becomes a… dadama.
To this purpose you superimpose the two dice to show it is a dadama (use one of the dice you captured before).
The dice on the top of the dadama is its value: when you first create a dadama, its value starts from 3.

Even here all the official rules on moves and captures are valid: for example, a dadama can move one square forward or backward, and when it can capture it can jump over one piece (dice or dadama) forward or backward.
The particularity of a dadama is the fact that, before capturing, you throw both dice that compose it; the obtained number is one of the two dice at player’s choice, and it will bet put over the other one. Even in this case the value of the dadama must be greater or equal to that of the dadama or piece you want to capture.

As in ITALIAN DRAUGHTS a simple piece can never capture a dadama.

End of the game and victory
A player wins if she eliminates or block all the dice of her opponent, and in the other cases provided by the rules of DRAUGHTS.
Moreover, a player immediately loses if all of her dice show the number 6 at the same moment.