Frequently asked questions

Both. The dice decide what moves are available, but which move you choose — and how you use the doubling cube — is pure skill. Over many games, the stronger player wins far more often than chance alone would predict.

None, really — tavla is simply the Turkish name for the same family of games. Depending on the exact ruleset, Turkish tavla can mean standard backgammon or one of its local cousins like Moultezim or Gülbara.

You must play as much of the roll as legally possible, even if that means playing only one die instead of two. If no legal move exists at all, your turn is forfeited and passes to your opponent.

If you bear off all your checkers before your opponent bears off any, you win a gammon, worth double the current cube value. If your opponent still has a checker on the bar or in your home board, it's a backgammon, worth triple.

No, it's entirely optional and many casual games skip it. It's used in money games and match play to raise the stakes and add a layer of negotiation to the strategy.

A single game usually takes 10-20 minutes. Tournament matches are played to a set number of points and can run considerably longer, especially with the doubling cube in play.

Yes. Backgammon has an active international tournament circuit, national federations, and a World Championship held annually in Monte Carlo, alongside a thriving online rating scene.