Imli: Indian Board Games

The board games India grew up with, drawn like real wood, chalk and cloth. Play a fair computer at three levels or family on one phone, and solve a puzzle a day.

Remember the board games of your grandparents' courtyard? Imli brings them back, beautifully drawn, with a fair computer to play and a new puzzle every day.

FIVE CLASSIC GAMES • Pallanguzhi: sow seeds round fourteen pits and capture the most (the South Indian mancala, also known as Ali Guli Mane and Vamana Guntalu). • Aadu Puli Attam: three tigers hunt fifteen goats. Play the tigers and catch them, or the goats and trap the tigers. • Navakankari: place nine stones, slide them along the lines and make mills to take your opponent's stones (Nine Men's Morris). • Ashta Chamma: throw four cowries and race your pawns round the board and into the centre. • Pachisi: the royal race round the cross, partners against partners, with six cowries.

LEARN BY PLAYING Every game has a short interactive tutorial on its real board: tap the glowing piece, watch what happens, and you know the rules in about two minutes.

A FAIR COMPUTER AT THREE LEVELS Easy plays like a beginner, Medium like a good family player, Hard plays its best. Beat each level to light a clay lamp; fifteen lamps wait across the collection.

FAIR THROWS, ALWAYS Every throw of the cowries comes from the match itself: undo can't fish for a better throw, and nothing for sale changes a throw.

PLAY TOGETHER ON ONE PHONE Pass the phone round the family: two to four players, any mix of people and computer.

A PUZZLE EVERY DAY One daily challenge, the same for everyone: win in two moves with Navakankari, trap the tigers, or find the sowing that captures the most. Keep your streak and share your result on WhatsApp without giving the answer away.

YOUR RULES Regional rules are options: seeds per pit and who takes the four-seed pasu in Pallanguzhi, flying stones in Navakankari, how many goats the tigers must catch, a short Pachisi with two pieces each.

ROYAL THEMES The classic boards are free. Royal themes adds teak and ebony boards with tamarind seeds and cowries, black granite with brass pieces, white marble, oxide floors and indigo or emerald silk for Pachisi.

IN YOUR LANGUAGE Imli speaks 36 languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali. It follows your phone, or pick a language in Settings.

FREE TO PLAY, NO SURPRISES Every game is free and works without a connection. Free players see an occasional ad as they leave a finished match, never during play, and a hint plays a short video. One purchase removes all ads and makes hints free.