How to play
Everything you need for your first match — in under five minutes.
The goal
Move all 15 of your checkers around the board into your home board, then bear them off. The first player to bear off all checkers wins.
The board
The board has 24 triangles called points, split into four quarters of six. In short backgammon each side starts with 2, 5, 3 and 5 checkers on fixed points; in long nardi all 15 checkers start on one point, the “head”.
A turn
Roll two dice and move checkers by each number. A double is played four times. You must use as many dice as possible; if only one can be used, play the larger one.
SShort backgammon
- Landing on a single opposing checker (a blot) hits it to the bar.
- Checkers on the bar must re-enter in the opponent's home board before any other move.
- A point with two or more opposing checkers is blocked.
- The doubling cube raises the stakes of a game; the opponent can accept or resign the game.
LLong nardi
- Both players move in the same direction around the board.
- There is no hitting: any point with an opposing checker is blocked.
- Only one checker may leave the head per turn (two on a first roll of 6-6, 4-4 or 3-3).
- You may not build six points in a row unless an opposing checker is already ahead of it.
Bearing off
When all 15 checkers are in your home board, you can remove them with matching dice. A higher die can bear off from your furthest point.
Scoring
A normal win scores 1 point (times the cube). If the loser has borne off nothing, it's a double win; in short backgammon, if they still have a checker on the bar or in your home board, it's a triple win.
Controls on PlayNardi
- Tap a highlighted checker, then tap a highlighted destination. Dragging works too.
- Prefer the keyboard? Use the move list next to the board.
- Undo any move before confirming your turn.