What is "zamma"

Zamma is a two-player abstract strategy game from Africa. It is especially played in North Africa. The game is similar to Alquerque and draughts. The board is four Alquerque boards combined together to form a square board. The initial setup is also similar to Alquerque, where every space on the board is filled with each player's pieces except for the middle point of the board. Furthermore, each player's pieces are also set up on each player's half of the board. The game specifically resembles draughts in that pieces must move in the forward directions until they are crowned " Mullah" (or "Sultan") which is the equivalent of the king in draughts. The Mullah can move in any direction. In North Africa, the black pieces are referred to as men, and the white pieces as women. In the Sahara, short sticks represent the men, and camel dung represent the women.

The game goes by several names such as Damma, Srand, and Dhamet. In Mauritania, the game is referred to as Srand or Dhamet. It is a national game. Mauritania's version is different from the other variants in that the pieces captured are instantly removed from the board, whereas, in other variants the removal of captured pieces is deferred.