Nard

A Persian game that is often considered the ancestor to backgammon.

Number of Players

The game is played with two players.

Set Up

• Standard tables board
• 15 “men” of one color, typically black
• 15 “men” of another color, typically white
• 2 six-sided dice per player
• 1 cup per player

Players determine who goes first using any sort of method. The “white” player places on their home side 3 men on points 6 and 8 and 2 men on points 3 and 7. On the “black” side, place 2 men on point 1 and 3 on point 12. The “black” player mirrors the “white” player. Roll a die to see who goes first.

Game Play

The “black” player will move men to their home table and the “white” player will move men to their home table. The men are moved by the current player rolling their dice in their cup and rolling them out onto the table. Each die represents movement of one man or both dice totaled represent the movement of a single man, pausing on the divider between each panel of the board.

There are a number of ways players can move. First, they may move to any point that has no men on it or points that they currently occupy. They may move to a spot with one opposing man and may “hit” the a singular man at a given point. When hit, a man is removed from the board and must re-enter upon the roll of a dice. No other man may move in the meantime.

At any time, movement may be “blocked” if any point has 2 or more opposing men occupying it. When this happens, movement for that man stops. If a man rolls an “ace” and is blocked on the home point, they may not move.

A move is not final until the player’s dice are removed from the board. Until then, a move may be undone.

Winning the Game

The player who, first, moves all their men on their respective home table and then “bears” them off the table, wins. A player may not bear off until all their men are in their home table. When bearing off, an exact die roll must be made to move the man into the pocket.

Scoring

For every man in the inner table the opponent has, earn 1 point. For every man in the outer table, earn 2 points. For every man in the 2nd quadrant, earn 3 points. Finally, for every man in the 1st quadrant, earn 4 points.