Diam

About this board game

Diam is a strategy game for 2–4 players that takes about 10 minutes to play. The goal is to place two pawns of the same color at the same height on two diametrically opposed spaces.

The rules are simple, but every move can expose your intentions. On a turn, you may place a pawn from your reserve onto an empty space or onto a pawn already on the board. Alternatively, you may move one of your pawns already in play to an adjacent space.

In a two-player game, each player has a reserve of eight pawns in two colors: four red and four orange for one player, and four maroon and four black for the other. Use careful placement and accurate movement to build toward the winning alignment while anticipating a possible counter-attack.

• 2 players: Compete using the standard rules and your own two pawn colors.
• 3 players: Play as two against one, with the solo player controlling two colors.
• 4 players: Form teams of two, with each player using one color.

In the four-player team game, players take turns and may not place a pawn from their partner’s reserve. They may, however, move either their own pawns or their partner’s pawns once those pawns are on the board.

Designed to offer accessible rules alongside substantial strategic depth, Diam can appeal to players of different strengths and ages. It was a winner of the 1998 Concours International de Créateurs de Jeux de Société and was released in 2003.