Game rules:
The younger player starts the game. The players alternate placing a rod in one of the holes. The aim is to build different formations (e.g. stairs, blocks, pyramids). The game comes supplemented with rules only for the stairs variant:
Each player tries to build stairs, or to prevent enemy stairs. An staircase is formed placing three adjacent rods of increasing length: (1 2 3: short, medium, and long rod). It is also possible to build two stairs using five rods: 12321 or 32123.
Endgame and puntuation:
Scoring takes place after all rods have been placed. Black rods are scored first: each row is inspected in search of black stairs, then the columns are also inspected. After the black scoring is done, white stairs are scored. The winner is the player with the most number of stairs built.