''Dao'' is a two-player
abstract strategy
Abstract strategy games admit a number of definitions which distinguish these from strategy games in general, mostly involving no or minimal narrative theme, outcomes determined only by player choice (with no randomness), and perfect information ...
board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a ...
, which won the
Mensa Select award in 2001. It was invented by Ben VanBuskirk of
Point Roberts, Washington
Point Roberts is a pene-exclave of Washington on the southernmost tip of the Tsawwassen peninsula, south of Vancouver, Canada. The area, which had a population of 1,191 at the 2020 census, is reached by land from the rest of the United States by ...
, and Jeff Pickering of
Monument, Oregon.
It comprises a 4x4 playing board with four playing pieces for each player. The aim of the game is to arrange pieces in certain winning formations before the opponent can. It is unique because any piece that is moving must move as far as it can.
There are four different ways to win the game: by forming a 2x2 square with your four pieces, by forming a straight vertical or horizontal line with your four pieces, by placing your four pieces in all four corners, or by having one of your pieces cornered by three of
the opponents pieces.
External links
Berkeley page on rules*
Board games introduced in 1999
Abstract strategy games
Mensa Select winners
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