Ancient Indian Boardgames: Digital Documentation

Title (dcterms:title)

Tuk-Tak

Description (dcterms:description)

This game has been recorded by Jatindra Mohan Datta as a sedentary game played in Bengal. According to Datta, this game was usually played by children and young boys and girls of Bengal. The diagrams used for the game are shown in the image, but it may be noted that the one without the outer boundary line is also used. The board is on a slate with chalk or on the floor using charcoal and it is a two player game.

Alternative Title (dcterms:alternative)

Three Men's Morris, Katakuti*

Rules (dcterms:instructionalMethod)

To start the game, each player has three distinctive pieces, such as cowries (shells) and tamarind seeds, or distinctive marks, such as x and O ( in case of Katakuti), are chosen to play the game. The player, who begins, places one of his pieces or mark on any of the areas marked A,B,C, etc. and then the other player occupies any other area. Playing thus alternately, all the six pieces are brought on the board. When all the six pieces are brought on the board, then the pieces are moved to adjacent vacant places but there is no jumping over or catching the pieces of the adversary. Effort is made to get one's three pieces in a straight line, i.e. ABC, ADG, AEI, and so on. One, who achieves this first, is the winner of the game, but it often happens that no one gets his three pieces in a straight line within a specified time and then the game ends in a draw.

Creator (dcterms:creator)

Jatindra Mohan Datta

Source (dcterms:source)

'On a Type of Sedentary Game of Bengal' by Jatindra Mohan Datta in Sedentary Games of India eds. Nirbed Ray and Amitabha Ghosh

Contributor (dcterms:contributor)

Jatindra Mohan Datta

Rights (dcterms:rights)

Creative Commons

Format (dcterms:format)

Boardgames

References (dcterms:references)

TukTak." Ludii , n.d.. Accessed May 21 2025.

'On a Type of Sedentary Game of Bengal' by Jatindra Mohan Datta in Sedentary Games of India

Three Men's Morris

Spatial Coverage (dcterms:spatial)

Bengal

Variants (dcterms:isVersionOf)

Three Men's Morris, Katakuti,

Tikda

Tre Guti

Tant Fant

Entered by (dcterms:accrualMethod)

Adrija Mukherjee

Notes (foaf:status)

* Katakuti while having nine squares like Tuk-Tak is a game where the pieces once drawn or put cannot be moved. This is one major difference of the play pattern of two games which otherwise have a similar looking board.

Tags (dcterms:conformsTo)

Sedentary Games

Games in Bengal

Tuk-Tak

Games of Alignment

Two-player

Cowrie