Kotra is a race game related to other European Tables games that was played in Iceland. References to the game appear in early texts, suggesting that the game came to Iceland at an early date.
Rules
2x12 board, with the spaces rendered as points, divided into half. Fifteen pieces per player, which begin on the rightmost point, with respect to the player, on the opposite side of the board from which they sit. Two six-sided dice. Players move according to the number on each die by moving one piece the value on one die then another piece the value on the other die, or by moving one piece the value of one die and then the value of the other. A throw of doubles forces the player to play the throw twice. More than two pieces of the same player may not occupy a point on the starting side of the board. The player cannot move past the penultimate point on the opposite side of the board until five pieces have been moved from the starting point. A single opponent's piece may be removed from the board when a player's piece lands on it, and the opponent's piece must reenter the board. Pieces cannot move to a point occupied by two opponent's piece. A piece cannot reenter then board on a point occupied by another piece, whether belonging to the player or the opponent. When all of a player's pieces have reached the final quadrant of the board, the player may begin to remove them from the table. The player who bears off their pieces scores two points.
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Sources
Arnarson, J and O. Daviðsson. 1888-1892. Islenzkar Gatur, Skemantir, Vikivakar og Þulur. Copenhagen: S. L. Möllers.
Fiske, W. 1905. Chess in Iceland and in Icelandic Literature with Historical Notes on other Table-Games. Florence: The Florentine Typographical Society.
Murray, H.J.R. 1951. A History of Board-Games Other Than Chess. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
