Lessons in Survival – Ashtaa Chemma

Blog 9 of 14

The game of Ashtaa Chemma is one of the many exciting dice games in India. It is usually played on a 5 by 5 board by 2 to 4 players with each having 4 game pieces. However, the exciting nature of the game has resulted in people playing on larger and larger boards making it more challenging and exciting.

In fact, in Mahabalipuram, the location of the 44^th Chess Olympiad, a beautiful and clear 9X9 board is found near the Butterball – a large granite rock resting on an incline.

In this game, the role of dice or random number generation is played by cowrie shells. Traditionally these shells were picked up from the beach but over years rampant trawling for them has made it necessary for us to preserve them and thus our biodiversity.  

The name Ashtaa Chemma comes from the Telugu – Eight and Four – two special numbers – eight represented by all four cowries  falling face downward, and four represented by all four cowries falling face upward.

The game goes by many names such as Ettu Veedu, Kattam Kali, , Chauka Bara, Changapoo, Aada Sada to name a few and is played across the country. The popularity and antiquity of the game is attested to by the fact that boards are found inscribed in numerous temples and monuments. The quality of the inscriptions attests to the skill of the people who inscribed it – probably early stone masons to pass their lunch hour!

In fact, the game was so popular, many homes had the game set in marble on table tops to facilitate play. And versions with an increasing number of squares and rows grew in popularity.

The game is an interplay of choice and chance – with the throw pieces providing the element of chance and the decisions on which game piece to move providing the choice.

The theme of the game is survival. The need to survive and reach our goal requires varied efforts – understanding the opponent, planning our strategy, taking decisive action when required and ensuring we reach our goals. Sometimes survival is not a question of strategy like chess, but other skills like the ability to think under pressure, the ability to take quick decisions and the ability to accept the throw of the dice.