Dariyabandha

Each team consists of six players. A toss determines which team will attack and which will defend. The game is played in two halves of 25 minutes each, with a 5-minute break in between. If a player is tagged and eliminated, the opposing team is allowed to attack with half of their players. The match is overseen by one referee, 6 or 12 "Dariya judges," and two scorers. If the game ends in a draw, a tiebreaker of 10-1-10 minutes (10 minutes play, 1-minute break, another 10 minutes play) is held to determine the winner.^[8][10]

The game begins by marking the court on the ground, which resembles a badminton court in layout. Ideally, each team should have four to five players, though the game can be played with as few as two players per team. The court is traditionally marked on flat ground using a spade.^{[citation needed]}

Within a square playing area, two parallel lines are drawn at equal distances from the front and back, with approximately one handspan of space between the lines. These sections are called "cross courts" (আড়া কোর্ট). Two cross courts placed side by side form a central court known as the "vertical court" (খাড়া কোর্ট). The number of courts increases with the number of players.^[8]

Each cross court is occupied by one defending player, who attempts to block opponents from moving through the courts. If a defender touches an opposing player within the court boundaries, the tagged player is eliminated. However, the touch must be validated by the defender remaining in their designated area; if their foot is on the boundary line during the tag, it is considered invalid, and the opponent is not eliminated.^{[citation needed]}

Players on the attacking team enter through the front of the court and attempt to move through all the courts to the back and return to the front again, all while avoiding being tagged by defenders. The defender in the front cross court may also utilize the full area of the vertical court behind them. If an attacking player successfully completes the circuit without being tagged, they score a point (called a "game").^{[citation needed]}

If any defender steps on a boundary line, they must vacate their position, allowing the attacking team to occupy that court. The game can continue for extended periods in this manner.^{[citation needed]}

There is no fixed standard for the dimensions of a Dariyabanda court; its size is typically determined by how much space a player can reasonably cover while running. However, the overall structure of the court remains consistent.^[9][11]

• Atya patya
• Kho Kho