Tavla is the Turkish name for backgammon. The rules are similar but not exactly the same as Western backgammon. A list of the differences appears at the bottom of this page. The same game is called Takhteh in Iran.

Setup:
The setup and movement are the same as in regular backgammon.
Each player starts with two checkers on the opponent's one-point, five checkers on the opponent's twelve-point, three checkers on their own eight-point, and five checkers on their own six point.



Object:
The object of the turk tavla game is to move all of your checkers into your own home board and then bear them off. The first player to bear off all his checkers wins the game.

To start:
Each player rolls one die and the higher number goes first. That player then rolls the dice again to begin his first turn. After the first game, the winner of the previous game goes first.

Movement:
The roll of the dice indicates how many points, or pips, the player is to move his checkers. The following rules apply:

• A checker may be moved only to an open point, one that is not occupied by two or more opposing checkers.
• The numbers on the two dice constitute separate moves. For example, if a player rolls 5 and 3, he may move one checker five spaces to an open point and another checker three spaces to an open point, or he may move the one checker a total of eight spaces to an open point, but only if the intermediate point (either three or five spaces from the starting point) is also open.
• Doubles are played twice. For example, a roll of 6-6 means the player has four sixes to use.
• You must use both numbers of a roll if possible, or all four numbers in the case of doubles.

Hitting:
A checker sitting alone on a point is called a blot. If an opposing checker lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar.

You may not run for cover after hitting an opposing blot in your own home board. If you choose to hit within your home board, you must cover the hitting checker with another of your own checkers or leave it exposed.

Entering from the bar:
Any time you have one or more checkers on the bar, your first obligation is to enter those checker(s) into the opposing home board. You enter a checker by moving it to an open point corresponding to one of the numbers on the rolled dice. If you are able to enter some but not all of your checkers, you must enter as many as you can then give up the remainder of your turn.

Bearing Off:
Once you have moved all fifteen of your checkers into your home board, you may begin bearing off. You bear off rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides, and then removing that checker from the board.

If there is no checker on the point indicated by the roll, then you must make a legal move using a checker on a higher-numbered point. If there are no checkers on higher-numbered points, you are permitted to remove a checker from the highest point that has one.

You may not unnecessarily "waste pips" during bearoff. This means you should always bear off a checker where possible rather than use a smaller number to move that checker forward.

White must use the 5 to bear off the checker on the three-point. He may not play the 2 first, for that would waste pips.

If a checker is hit during bearoff, it must be reentered and returned to the player's finishing table before that player can resume bearing off his checkers.

Scoring:
The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins the game. If the losing player has borne off at least one checker, he loses only one point. If the losing player has not borne off any checkers, he loses two points.

There is no doubling in this game.

Rule Differences from Backgammon

The winner of the opening roll rerolls for his first turn. There is no "hit-and-run" in the player's home board. You may not unnecessarily waste pips during bearoff. The winner scores one point for a normal win and two points for a gammon. There is no backgammon. There is no doubling cube.

(Source: bkgm.com)

Free backgammon is a term most internet savvy players will be familiar with, due to the amazing growth of online backgammon gaming sites. But for anyone not familiar with the world of backgammon online a little explanation is in order. What is generally meant by "free backgammon" is not a distribution of actual backgammon games free of charge, nor is it a reference to free membership at the local backgammon club. What we're referring to is the backgammon software downloads that are available at no charge to the player from internet backgammon sites. With a basic Internet connection and a computer that can support the high-quality 3-D video backgammon software the player can download and play the game as often as they like for free. It's a great way to learn the game, practice your strategy and just play non-competitive backgammon for free.

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Backgammon is a very old game, with a huge tradition in some parts of the world. Traditionally it is a board game played by two, using a pair of dice. The game is not really complicated, and the role of it is to remove all of the figures from the board according to the rules. Many became very fond of online backgammon due to the strategies used in it, and even though at first site in might seem a game based only on luck, a good strategy can be the key of success, no matter how lucky or unlucky the player is.

As mentioned above, the game is played using a board. The board has two parts, divided at the middle section. On the board 24 points can be found in two different colors, usually black and white, but several color combinations can be found in use, important is to use one lighter and one darker. The arranging of the board is symmetrical, as the beginning arrangement of the figures will be. These figures are called checkers and the goal of the game is to remove every one of it before the opponent does.

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The long and interesting history of backgammon covers stretches back to the beginning of written records, perhaps as many as 5,000 years ago. Researchers are sure that the backgammon game first appeared in the area today occupied back Iraq or Iran. The earliest backgammon board so far discovered in ancient Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq) dates back some 4,600 years! There is no other game that can compete with the claim that to play backgammon was the original pastime. It is interesting to note that the appearance of the backgammon set, and the backgammon board have not significantly changed from the times when the game was enjoyed by the ancient Egyptians, Persians and the Romans.

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Learning how to play backgammon successfully is probably easier to do today than in any other period of the backgammon game's five thousand year history. We can imagine in the Ancient world the game was taught from father to son, or people learned the game by watching others play. There were no books of backgammon rules, not least because printing had not yet been invented, but also very few people could read. Closer to our own times, the game has been, and still is learned by many schoolchildren from their friends, and backgammon clubs have become quite popular.

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If you want to learn backgammon seriously there are many backgammon-playing computers programs around. You can find good free or shareware programs downloadable directly from the Internet. Some of the more sophisticated but expensive programs are able to anlayze your play and give you many elements for improvement.

Here are a few ones

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