Anthi Chanda Rules: How to Play, Strategy and Tips

Anthi Chanda rules fit on a single page, yet the game they create can keep a whole family busy all evening. You throw four cowrie shells, race four pawns around a 5×5 board, and try to bring every pawn into the centre square first.

You may know the game by another name. It is Chowka Bhara in Karnataka and Ashta Chamma in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. You will also hear Chowka Bara, Ashta Kashte, Daayam and Thaayam.

This guide explains how the game works in the Anthi Chanda app for Android, based on its Google Play listing. Then come strategy tips and quick answers. Wherever you live, you can learn it in a few minutes.

Anthi Chanda Rules at a Glance

• Each player has 4 pawns on a 5×5 board.
• You throw four cowrie shells. The number that land face up is your move.
• All four face up is a Chanda: 4 steps and a bonus throw.
• All four face down is the Anthi: 8 steps and another throw on top.
• Every pawn starts on the board from the very first throw. There is no rolling just to enter.
• Pawns travel the outer ring first, then the inner ring.
• A pawn must land exactly on the centre square to finish.
• Land exactly on a rival's lone pawn to cut it. It goes back to its starting square, and you get a bonus throw.
• Two of your pawns on one square form a protected pair. No rival can cut it or land on it.

Everyone is racing to bring all four pawns into the centre. The first to do it wins.

What You Need to Play

The game was traditionally played with tamarind seeds and cowrie shells. At home, you need a 5×5 grid drawn on paper or cloth, four cowrie shells, and four pawns per player in different colours. Seeds, stones or buttons all work.

On your phone, the app draws the board, throws the shells and counts the steps for you.

The Board: Outer Ring, Inner Ring and Centre

A 5×5 grid has 25 squares. The 16 around the edge form the outer ring. The 8 just inside form the inner ring. The single square in the middle is the goal.

Each pawn travels the outer ring first, then the inner ring, which the listing calls "trickier". There is less room in there, so pawns meet more often. Finally, the pawn must land exactly on the centre.

How the Cowrie Throw Works

Instead of a die, you throw four cowrie shells and count how many land face up.

The listing calls the Anthi "the powerful one". It moves you 8 steps, and then you throw again.

How Often Does Each Throw Come Up?

Picture each shell as a fair coin that lands face up half the time. Four shells then give 16 equally likely patterns. A 1 comes up in 4 of them, a 2 in 6, and a 3 in 4. A Chanda and an Anthi each come up in just 1.

Real shells are not perfect coins, so treat this as a rough guide, not the app's exact odds. The lesson still holds. Small throws are common, and the two bonus throws are rare.

Moving and Bonus Throws

Each throw moves one of your pawns forward by that many steps. You choose which pawn, and that choice is where the strategy lives.

The Anthi Chanda rules give you three ways to earn another throw: a Chanda, an Anthi and a cut. So one turn can stretch into several. Throw a Chanda, use the bonus throw to cut a rival, and the cut earns you a third throw.

Anthi Chanda Rules for Cutting

The listing puts it simply: "Cut your rivals by landing exactly on their lone pawn and send them all the way back to their starting square."

• You must land exactly on the rival's square. Passing over a pawn does not cut it.
• It only works on a lone pawn. A pair is protected.
• A cut pawn loses every step it made.

Every cut also earns you a bonus throw right away. It hurts your rival and helps you in the same move.

Protected Pairs and Blocking

When two of your own pawns share a square, they become a protected stack. No rival can cut them or even land on that square. The same rule works against you, because you cannot land on an enemy pair.

Of all the Anthi Chanda rules, this one changes play the most. As the listing says, "blocking becomes a real strategy." A pair is a shield and a roadblock at once.

Finishing a Pawn and Winning

A pawn must land exactly on the centre square to finish. If your throw is bigger than the steps left, that pawn cannot finish with it, so you will usually move another pawn instead. The first player to bring all four pawns into the centre wins.

In Team Battle 2v2, you and a partner each control 4 pawns. Your team works to get all 8 home before the other team does. Once your own pawns finish, you throw for your partner.

Strategy Tips to Win More Games

The Anthi Chanda rules above come from the app's listing. The tips below are our own advice, worked out from those rules.

1. Never Leave a Lone Pawn in Easy Reach

On the coin model, a 2 is the most common throw, then 1 and 3. Before you end a move, check which rival pawns could reach your square with a small throw. If one is close, move away or join another of your pawns.

2. Build Pairs on Purpose

A pair cannot be cut, and rivals cannot land on it. Steer two pawns onto the same square when you can, especially in the crowded inner ring. Park a pair where a rival pawn wants to land, and you take away one of its options.

3. Cut the Pawn That Has Travelled Furthest

Cutting a pawn deep in the inner ring costs your rival far more than cutting one that has just set off. Then make good use of your bonus throw.

4. Keep Your Options Open

Spread your pawns out at different distances, so every throw has a good use. All four start on the board, so get them all moving early.

5. Plan Your Finish

A pawn 2 steps from the centre can finish with the most common throw. Two pawns waiting at 1 and 2 steps give you even more ways in.

6. Respect the Anthi

The Anthi is rare, but a rival 8 squares away is closer than it looks.

7. In 2v2, Think as a Team

Your goal is all 8 pawns home, not just your own 4. Cut rivals who threaten your partner.

8. Play the Hard Bots With Care

The listing says Hard bots "think a step ahead, weigh every throw probability." Expect them to punish a careless lone pawn. Start on Easy or Medium while you learn.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Anthi Chanda rules the same everywhere?

Not always. Families often play with their own house rules. The Anthi Chanda rules in this guide follow the app's Google Play listing. If you play at home, agree on house rules before the first throw.

Is Anthi Chanda the same as Chowka Bhara and Ashta Chamma?

Yes. The app is listed on Google Play as "Anthi Chanda: Chowka Bhara", and the listing says the game is also known as Ashta Chamma in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Can I play without the internet?

Yes, in Vs Computer and Pass and Play. The listing says no internet is needed for those modes.

Is the app free, and is it on iPhone?

It is free on Google Play and rated 3+. It contains ads. It is Android-only for now, and iOS is on the roadmap.

Play Anthi Chanda on Your Phone

The Anthi Chanda app comes from Saathi Games, an independent studio in Lucknow. Built in Lucknow, made for the world. You can play it in four ways:

• Vs Computer, with bots at Easy, Medium and Hard.
• Pass and Play, with 2, 3 or 4 players on one device.
• Team Battle 2v2, with a partner.
• Play with Friends, where you create a private room and share the code.

You can also climb the global leaderboard and dress your board in themes like Diwali Night and Mughal Garden.

Now that you know the Anthi Chanda rules, a few rounds against the Easy bot is the quickest way to make them stick.

Download: get Anthi Chanda: Chowka Bhara free on Google Play.

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