Backgammon Variants

1. The tables family of games

The backgammon we know today is just one branch of a large family of games known as “tables games”. They all share the same fundamental elements: a board divided into 24 points, two sets of 15 checkers and two dice. But the rules vary considerably from one culture to another.

In France, trictrac dominated for centuries, before jacquet took over in the 19th century. In the Ottoman Empire it was tavla; in Russia, narde; in Greece, plakoto. These variants show how a game travels and changes as it passes from one civilisation to the next.

2. Jacquet — the French variant

Jacquet was for a long time the most popular variant in France, more widespread than standard backgammon in family games. It stands out because of one fundamental rule: all 15 of each player's checkers start on the same point, the “heel” (the 24-point from your side), and the two players start from opposite corners and travel in the same direction.

Specific rules of jacquet

• All 15 checkers start on the 24-point (the heel), forming a column of 15
• Both players move in the same direction, anticlockwise
• There is no hitting (nothing goes to the bar): you cannot land on a point already occupied by your opponent
• To get past an opposing point, you need a roll large enough to jump over it
• Doubles are played four times, as in backgammon; however, you must first bring one checker, the “postillon”, into the last quarter of the course before you can move the other checkers off the heel

Jacquet strategy

Without hitting, jacquet is a pure race with obstacles. The art lies in blocking your opponent's path by occupying strategic points, while managing your dense column of 15 checkers.

3. Trictrac — the noble ancestor

Trictrac is a French tables game that was played for several centuries before falling out of fashion in the 19th century. It is considerably more complex than standard backgammon and places great emphasis on “points” scored during the game — not just at the end.

Distinctive features of trictrac

• Players score points throughout the game (not only at the end)
• You score when you “beat” a lone opposing checker, but the beaten checker is not removed from the board
• The “plein” (occupying all six points of a jan, i.e. a quarter of the board, with at least two checkers on each) is highly prized
• Numerous special rules for doubles and particular positions
• Continuous scoring makes trictrac far more tactical and psychological

Trictrac had many devotees among the French nobility and middle classes up to the early 19th century.

4. Narde — the Russian variant

Narde (also known as “long nard” or “long nardy”) is the dominant variant in Russia, the Caucasus and much of Central Asia. Like jacquet, it does not allow hitting.

Rules of narde

• All 15 white checkers start on the 24-point; all the black ones on the 12-point (on the opposite side)
• No blot can be hit — you cannot land on a point held by your opponent
• You can only hinder your opponent by occupying points, which are then closed to them; a single checker is enough to close a point
• You are not allowed to form a block of six consecutive points if no opposing checker is in front of that block
• No doubling cube in the traditional version

5. Tavla — Turkish backgammon

Tavla (or “tavli”) is played in Turkey and throughout the Middle East. The word also denotes a family of games: in Greece, “tavli” strings together three games in a single match — portes (close to backgammon), plakoto and fevga; in Turkey, alongside classic Tâvla, people also play mahbusa (equivalent to plakoto) and gülbahar (close to fevga).

Standard Tâvla

The rules of standard Tâvla are very close to Western backgammon, with a few differences:

• The starting position is identical to standard backgammon
• Hitting and entering follow the same rules; however, there is no backgammon (triple victory): a gammon (“mars”) is worth 2 points
• No doubling cube in traditional cafés (it is used in modern tournaments)

6. Acey-Deucey — the American version

Acey-Deucey is a popular variant in the United States, particularly in the US Navy. Its name comes from the special roll of “ace and deuce” (1-2), the most powerful roll in the game.

Rules of Acey-Deucey

• The board starts empty — checkers enter gradually from off the board
• When you roll a 1-2 (acey-deucey), you play it, then choose any double AND play that too, then roll again for an extra turn
• All the other rules are similar to standard backgammon

7. Plakoto — the Greek variant

Plakoto is one of the three games played in Greek tavli (along with fevga and portes, the Greek name for backgammon). Its distinctive feature: checkers are not hit and sent to the bar — they are pinned in place.

The pinning rule in plakoto

If your checker lands on an opposing blot, it pins it where it stands. The pinned checker cannot move for as long as your checker stays on that point. If you move your checker away, your opponent's checker is freed. You can pin several opposing checkers at once if you have enough checkers to spare!

Another interesting rule: if your opponent pins your “mother” (the last checker left on your starting point, the 24-point, in the opponent's home board), you lose the game immediately, usually counted double. The name of the game comes from the verb “πλακώνω” (plakóno), “to cover, to crush”.

8. Hypergammon and modern variants

Modern players have created new variants for faster, more intense games:

• Hypergammon: each player starts with just 3 checkers (on the 24, 23 and 22-points). Games are very short and very random — ideal for practising quick decision-making
• Nackgammon: like backgammon, but with two extra checkers starting in the opponent's home board (2 on the 24-point, 2 on the 23, then 4 on the 13, 3 on the 8 and 4 on the 6, instead of 2-5-3-5)
• Chouette: a variant for three or more players in which a single player (the “box”) takes on all the others, who form a team led by a captain

9. Comparison table