Understanding the Rules of Tavla
Tavla, or Turkish backgammon, is one of the many variations of backgammon. The thrill and speed of the game is just one of the many differences which make Tavla unique. It is popular in Turkey but is slowly gaining popularity in the world.
Compared to regular backgammon, it does not begin with all the checkers on the board. The game commences with two checkers positioned on the farthest point opposite to their opponent's. The objective of Tavla is similar to standard backgammon, which is to become the first player to clear their checkers off the board.
To determine which player goes first, each player will roll one die. Whoever rolls the highest number takes his turn by rolling both dice. The player is not allowed to move the two checkers already on the board until the remaining 13 checkers are on the board. He rolls the dice to advance the checker to the corresponding area on the board. For instance, with a roll of 4-3, he can place one checker on his four or three point. He can use the checker to advance his checker a second time, or advance another checker already on the board.
In Tavla, the player is not allowed to advance a checker to a point occupied by more than one checker. Likewise, he cannot move his checkers to a point occupied by more than two checkers of his opponent. However, if only one point is occupied by a checker of his opponent, he has the option to hit and remove the piece from the board. The said piece will be positioned on the bar found in the middle of the board. The player who lost his checker must return it to the game by rolling a dice before playing his other checkers.
Standard backgammon rules are applied to other checker movements. A player must advance his checkers depending on the amount reflected on the two dice, or one checker for every die. In case of a double, you must advance your checkers twice the amount that appears on both dice similar to regular backgammon.
At the conclusion of a game of Tavla, the player begins to bear off his checkers from the board. However, the die should show the correct number of moves. As in the standard game, the player should move all their checkers on the home board before clearing them. The first player to successfully do this is declared the winner in Tavla.
So for people who are tired of playing the regular backgammon game can make a switch to Turkish backgammon.
