Tavla Online

admin · Site Admin Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 860

There are many different variations on the game of backgammon. The Turkish game for backgammon is called "tavla". You can learn the rules and play with friends, or you can even play tavla online.

If you plan to play tavla online, you need to learn the slight differences between the games of tavla and Western backgammon. In Western backgammon, the winner of the opening roll uses this roll for his first turn; in tavla, the winner re-rolls the dice for his turn. When it comes to hitting a blot, the rules are the same in tavla and backgammon except in your home board. You may hit an opponent in your home board, but may not move the checker you used to hit after the hit.

You can cover the exposed checker, or leave the checker exposed but may not "hit and run". The other difference comes during bear off. If you have the possibility of bearing off a checker you must take it - you cannot move a checker to a lower spot in order to cover exposed checkers. Scoring is also slightly different - in tavla you receive one point for a normal win, two points for a gammon but there is no backgammon. Finally, the game of tavla is not played with a doubling cube. Make sure you know these rules before playing tavla online, or with friends.

Tavla can be a fun experience and if you play tavla online, you may even get the chance to play against someone Turkish who really knows the game!