Klin Zha battles are conducted between combatants who move their warriors alternately on a triangular battlefield called a Klin Zha board, or Grand Triangle.

Each Combatant starts the battle with a squad of nine warriors, a Goal, and a spindle. The spindle is a six sided object with each side numbered. In the standard battle, the combatant casts a spindle at the start of the battle to determine first placement; otherwise they are not used.

Combatants command their squad one command at a time in turn. A combatant is said to have command after the opponent’s command has been executed.

The goal of each combatant is to capture the enemy Goal, or to force the enemy into a position where they have command but nothing they can execute.