Dao was invented by Jeff Pickering and Ben van Buskirk just before the turn of the millenium.

Deluxe Dao DisplayPhoto by BGG user Empress

The tiny board and deceivingly simple ruleset hides impressive complexity, mainly stemming from the multiple win conditions and the ingeniously construed starting setup.

External links:

• World of Abstract Games entry
• Zillions of Games entry
• Board Game Geek entry