At a glance
| Heartland | Russia and the Caucasus — Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan — and northern Iran |
|---|---|
| Players | 2, with 15 checkers each |
| Doubling cube | Not used traditionally |
| Hitting | None — a single checker blocks its point |
| Starting position | All 15 stacked on your own 24-point (“the head”); both players race the same direction |
| Winning | Bear off all 15 first; winning before the opponent bears off any checker scores double (oyn/mars) |
How Long Nardy plays
- The head. All fifteen checkers begin stacked on your own 24-point, called the head (голова). Both players travel the same cyclic direction, a quarter of the board apart, chasing each other's tails toward their own home quadrants.
- No contact. There is no hitting and no bar. A point holding even one of your checkers is yours; the opponent may never land there.
- Movement and the bear-off follow standard dice law: play both dice when possible, doubles play four times, bear off on exact rolls or from the highest occupied point.
- Head conventions. Table traditions differ on how many checkers may leave the head in one turn (many circles allow only one, with exceptions for the first roll). Boardgammon plays the open profile — any number may leave the head — so games flow fast; agree on the local convention when you play over a real board.
Strategy in brief
- Points are cheap — spend them on fences. Since one checker holds a point, six consecutive checkers form an absolute wall. Building it across the opponent's exit lane is the game's central weapon.
- Don't over-block. Checkers parked in a wall aren't racing; the wall must break at the right moment or you lose the run home. It is timing, nardy-style.
- Count the race constantly. With no hits to reverse fortune, the pip count is destiny — every blocking decision trades race pips for road blocks.
Long Nardy's Greek-Turkish cousin is Fevga — same no-contact idea, different starting corners and etiquette. Western-style backgammon is played in the region too, where it goes by короткие нарды — “short nardy.”
How Long Nardy differs from standard backgammon
| Aspect | Standard backgammon | Long Nardy |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Players move in opposite directions | Both players race the same cyclic direction |
| Blots and hitting | Lone checkers can be hit to the bar | No hitting at all — a lone checker owns its point |
| Making a point | Two checkers required | One checker is enough |
| Starting position | 15 checkers across four points | All 15 stacked on the head (your 24-point) |
| Doubling cube | Standard in Western play | Absent; series score and double wins carry the stakes |
| Skill emphasis | Hitting, priming, cube | Blocking geometry, tempo, and the race |
New to the game? Start with the standard backgammon rules, browse the other variants, or look up any term in the glossary.