Tanzania Drafti (TZD) is not just a game; it is a sport governed by strict standards to ensure fair play and competitive integrity. While it shares roots with other Draughts-64 variants, TZD has unique characteristics that every player must master to compete at a high level.

1. The Equipment and Setup

TZD is played on an 8x8 square board. The game uses only the 32 dark squares. Each player starts with 12 pieces (men). The board must be positioned so that the "long diagonal" starts at the left-hand side of each player.

• White moves first. This is a standard in almost all TZD Federation matches.
• Starting position: Men occupy the first three ranks of each side.

2. Movement: Men vs. Kings

Men: The Forward Path

A man moves diagonally forward one square to an adjacent empty dark square. Crucially, TZD rules are very strict: men can NEVER move backward—not for regular moves, and not even for captures.

Kings: The "Flying King"

When a man reaches the opponent's back rank, it is promoted to a King. In TZD, we use the Flying King rule. A king moves diagonally forward or backward any number of empty squares.

3. Capturing: "Ula ni Lazima"

Capturing is mandatory. If a move exists to capture an opponent's piece, you must take it.

The Mid-Capture Promotion Rule

One nuance that often surprises new players is the promotion rule during a multi-jump. If a man reaches the back rank during a jump sequence, it is promoted and its turn ends immediately. It cannot continue jumping as a king on the same turn.

4. Drawing and Timeouts

TZD has specific rules for endgames to prevent endless loops:

• 3 Kings vs 1 King: The stronger side has 12 moves to capture the lone king. If they fail, it's a draw.
• Threefold Repetition: If the same position occurs three times, the game is a draw.
• 30-Move Rule: If 30 full moves occur with only kings and no captures, the game is a draw.

In timeout situations, a lone king is considered "stronger material" than two men, because the two men cannot reliably force a win against a flying king. Therefore, if a lone king runs out of time against two men, it is often declared a draw.