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| Are you a devotee of the well-known backgammon? Don’t you want to know more about this famous game’s Russian version called Narde? If you visit Russia, you’re very likely to be invited to this backgammon variation, so it’s good for you to know the basics. However, Narde is popular not only in Russia, but also in the other countries that were parts of the Soviet block. |
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| Take a quick read at this article, and you’ll get familiarized with this interesting backgammon version! |
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Let’s get started with a short history review! You should know that though Narde is associated with Russia, scholars have demonstrated that it originates from Persia, which is Iran today. In the Persian language ‘Narde’ means a sort of wooden board. The game might have had some religious nuance, as Persians are thought to have related the twenty-four triangles on the checkerboard to the twenty-four hours of a day. Pieces are also thought to have nominated the days in a month. In Iran you can still find some kind of varieties of Narde. Researches have shown that Narde arrived in the area that is Russia today at about the 7th-8th century. So the game is worth giving a try!
Let’s talk about the game itself! If you are familiar with the well-known backgammon basics, you’re lucky, as Narde is pretty much the same. Apparently there is no difference between the game played all around the world and Narde. Narde has the same equipment, namely a flat checkerboard with twenty-four strait triangles which have alternating colours. The board is further divided into four parts, each of them with six triangles. This is the same division as one may find in the many varieties of backgammon. The differentiation for each player of home and outer boards is also identical for both games. Moreover, Narde also uses 15 checkers for each player which are moved in concordance with the dice-throw. Finally, the main target of Narde, namely to manage to bring all of one’s own checkers into their home board and then bear them off, is also the same as for backgammon. All in all, if you know the backgammon basics, you are ready for an exciting Narde game as well!
However, talking about Narde’s rules, one might find many differences. The Russian version of the game tends to be more of a luck game than of strategic one. The main difference in Narde is the lack of hitting the other player’s blots. Therefore moving one’s checkers is possible only to open points, so to places that are not occupied. Another difference occurs when constructing primes - there is a limit in this sense. Players cannot block the entire other player’s pieces after a prime which is build up with six of their own pieces. He or she must leave at least one of the other player’s pieces outside the prime.
Let’s take a closer look over the course of the game! Narde starts differently as players place their pieces cornerwise in an opposing direction. The checkers’ moving direction also differs, as in Narde these are moved counter-clockwise by both players around the checkerboard. One player moves from 12 to 1, and to 24 down to 13, and after that he or she may start to bear off. The other player moves from 24 to 1, and finally bears off. A point is counted as one move if a piece is placed on it. The start-up of Narde is somehow identical to backgammon, as players have to throw one dice and the player with the higher number is the first. Also, this player who goes first has to roll again in order to start the game. Just like in the version called Tavla, the winner of the previous game goes first in the next Narde game. Point numbering is similar to backgammon, and the movement of the checkers is also identical, so it is according to the dice roll. This roll says how many points should the player move his or her pieces.
The next thing to discuss is the rules of Narde. First, the numbers indicated on the two different dice suggest two different moves. This is the same rule that exists in modern backgammon as well. Let’s have an example! In case of a 5-2 roll you have two choices. You either move a piece five spaces and another piece two spaces to points which are not occupied, or you can move a single piece by seven spaces to an unoccupied point. But this latter option is available only if the intermediate point (two or five spaces from the start-up point) is also free. Doubles are also used according to backgammon, so they are played two times. For instance, a 5-5 roll implies a move of four fives. It isn’t so complicated, is it? Don’t forget to use both or all four numbers (in case of doubles) if possible. On the other hand, if you cannot play both, you must choose the higher number.
The key-point of Narde is the same as in all the backgammon varieties, namely bearing off the checkers. This step is pretty much the same as in traditional backgammon. It is possible only after moving one’s all checkers to the finishing section. Bearing off implies a rolled number that is the same on which the checker stays, and only after that can a player remove the piece from the checkerboard. If there is no such a piece that corresponds to the rolled number, you should make a move with a piece situated on a point with a higher number. If there isn’t any piece on a higher-numbered place, you must take off a counter from the highest possible point.
Let’s move on and talk about the differences! Probably the most important thing is that compared to other backgammon variants there is no hitting in Narde. This means if a point is occupied by a checker this implies a total control. An opposing piece cannot hit the counter or land on that point. Another major difference refers to the limitation in case of primes. You can create a prime, namely six successive block situated at the front of your opponent's pieces only if one opposing piece is in advance of your prime. As far as scoring is concerned, the player who first bears off all his pieces is the winner and gets one point. If this is made before the other player bears off any, the winner scores two points.
All in all, Narde is an interesting Russian game that has many similar variants (the Turkish Moultezim or the Greek Fevga), and which shares many characteristics with contemporary backgammon. There exist several spellings from 'Nard' to 'Nardi', and many others. One may ask why this interesting game is played only in a single region, and not all around the world. One possible answer for Narde not becoming an international game is the isolation of the game’s originating region from political and geographical points of view. Today Narde is played mainly in Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan, or Georgia. There are two versions, short and long Narde, with the latter requiring a deeper strategy. This refers to making sure one plays ‘big pairs’ with his or her own pieces and keeping the opponent from doing the same thing. Another target would be preventing to get locked by a special six-point prime. Last, but not least, bear in mind that Narde is almost only about luck. So have a good luck at playing Narde! |
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