Backgammon Variations: Tavla, Narde, Acey-Deucey & More (2026)

While standard backgammon is the most widely played form, dozens of fascinating variations exist around the world. Many of these have been played for centuries and remain hugely popular in their home countries. Here are the most notable variations.

Key Takeaways

Turkish Tavla (Uzun Tavla) is the most widely played variation — same movement direction, no hitting
Narde (popular in Russia, Georgia, Iran) also has no hitting; checkers block by occupying points
Greek Tavli is a three-game set: Plakoto, Fevga, and Portes (standard backgammon)
Acey-Deucey gives an extra turn when rolling 1-2 — popular in the American military
Hypergammon uses only 3 checkers per player, creating an extremely fast and volatile game
All major variations use the same 24-point board; the rules for movement, hitting, and winning differ

Turkish Tavla (Tavla)

Origin: Turkey Popularity: Extremely popular — tavla is Turkey’s national board game

Tavla is virtually identical to standard backgammon with a few important differences:

No doubling cube — Tavla is typically played without a doubling cube
No “hitting” in the standard sense — In long gammon (uzun tavla), there’s no hitting at all; in short gammon (kısa tavla), hitting works like standard backgammon
Cultural significance — Tavla is played everywhere in Turkey: coffee shops, parks, homes, and beaches. The characteristic clacking of checkers and dice is a beloved Turkish sound

Uzun Tavla (Long Gammon)

The most popular form in Turkey:

Both players start with all 15 checkers stacked on one point
Checkers move in the same direction (both counterclockwise)
No hitting — you simply cannot land on an opponent’s point
Must move all checkers around the entire board and bear off

Kısa Tavla (Short Gammon)

Essentially the same as international backgammon, played alongside uzun tavla.

Narde (Nardi / Long Nardi)

Origin: Persia/Caucasus region Popularity: Extremely popular in Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran

Narde is similar to Uzun Tavla:

Both players start with all 15 checkers on the 24-point
Checkers move in the same direction
No hitting — You cannot land on a point occupied by any opponent checker, even a single one
No doubles bonus — Doubles are played normally (just two moves, not four)
The first player to bear off all checkers wins

Strategy in Narde

Since there’s no hitting, strategy revolves entirely around:

Blocking — Occupying points to prevent your opponent from advancing
Building primes — Even more important than in standard backgammon since there’s no hitting threat
Timing — Managing your checker distribution to maintain blocking positions

Acey-Deucey

Origin: United States (particularly popular in the military) Popularity: Popular in American military and casual circles

Acey-Deucey is a simpler, more chaotic variant:

Starting position — All checkers start off the board
Entering — You enter checkers into your opponent’s home board, similar to coming off the bar
The special roll — Rolling a 1-2 (acey-deucey) is special: you play the 1 and 2, then choose any double you want, then roll again
Fast-paced — Games tend to be quicker and more volatile

The acey-deucey rule creates wild swings in fortune and makes the game more exciting (if less strategic) than standard backgammon.

Plakoto

Origin: Greece Popularity: Very popular in Greece, often played as part of a “Tavli” set

Plakoto is a unique variation with a “trapping” mechanic:

Both players start with all 15 checkers on their own 1-point
Trapping (Pinning) — When you land on a point occupied by a single opponent checker, you don’t hit it — you trap it. Your checker sits on top, and the trapped checker can’t move until you move away
The trapped checker isn’t sent to the bar; it stays in place but is immobilized
You can have multiple traps simultaneously
“Mama” rule — Trapping your opponent’s last checker (on their starting point) before they’ve moved any other checkers is an automatic double win

Tavli (Greek Backgammon)

In Greece, Tavli refers to a set of three games played in sequence:

Portes — Standard backgammon rules
Plakoto — The trapping variation described above
Fevga — Similar to Narde (no hitting, same direction movement)

A full Tavli match involves playing all three games consecutively. This is one of the most popular social games in Greece and Cyprus.

Gul Bara (Crazy Narde)

Origin: Middle East/Central Asia Popularity: Popular in Azerbaijan, Turkey, and surrounding regions

Gul Bara is a narde variant with a twist:

All 15 checkers start on one point
Similar to narde — no hitting
Movement restriction — You can only begin moving checkers from a point when you have moved all checkers from the previous point
Creates an interesting “cascading” movement pattern

Tric-Trac

Origin: France Popularity: Historical (once France’s most popular board game)

Tric-Trac was the dominant French backgammon variant from the 17th through 19th centuries:

Played on a standard backgammon board
Scoring — Complex point-scoring system based on specific positions achieved during play
No bearing off during the game — Points are scored by achieving certain positions
First to 12 points wins (various scoring rules exist)
Named after the sound of dice hitting the board

Tric-Trac has largely been replaced by standard backgammon in modern France, but it’s a historically significant game.

Hypergammon

Origin: Modern variant Popularity: Used for theoretical study and quick play

Hypergammon is a simplified form used for computer analysis:

Each player starts with only 3 checkers (instead of 15)
Starting position: one checker each on the 24, 23, and 22 points
All other rules are standard
Games take 1-3 minutes
Completely solved by computers (perfect play is known for every position)

Chouette (Multiplayer Backgammon)

Chouette is a format that allows 3 or more players to play backgammon together:

One player is the “box” (plays alone against everyone)
The other players form a team led by the “captain”
The captain makes moves after consultation with teammates
If the box wins, they stay as box; if they lose, the captain becomes the new box
Each player keeps an individual score

Chouette is popular at clubs and is a great social way to play backgammon with larger groups.

Comparison Table

Variant	Hitting	Starting Position	Doubles Bonus	Doubling Cube
Standard	Yes	Distributed	4x moves	Yes
Tavla (Kısa)	Yes	Distributed	4x moves	No
Uzun Tavla	No	All on one point	4x moves	No
Narde	No	All on one point	No bonus	No
Acey-Deucey	Yes	Off the board	4x moves	Optional
Plakoto	Trapped	All on one point	4x moves	No
Hypergammon	Yes	3 checkers	4x moves	Yes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most popular backgammon variation in the world?

Turkish Tavla (specifically Uzun Tavla) is likely the most-played variant globally, given Turkey’s enormous population of players for whom it is essentially the national board game. Narde is also extremely widespread across Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

What is Tavli in Greek backgammon?

Tavli is a set of three Greek backgammon variants played in sequence: Portes (standard backgammon), Plakoto (trapping mechanic), and Fevga (one direction, blocking only). Greek players traditionally play one game of each and compare scores.

How is Narde different from backgammon?

In Narde, both players move their checkers in the same direction (counterclockwise), and there is no hitting — you cannot land on a point occupied by even a single opponent checker. It emphasizes blocking and priming over aggression.

What is Hypergammon?

Hypergammon is a variant where each player uses only 3 checkers instead of 15, all starting on the 24, 23, and 22 points. Games are very fast and highly volatile. It’s an excellent training tool for understanding probability and cube decisions.

What backgammon variants don’t use the doubling cube?

Most cultural variants — including Tavla (Turkish), Narde (Persian/Caucasian), and Plakoto (Greek) — are traditionally played without a doubling cube. The cube is mainly a feature of the international (Western) form of backgammon.