Editing Tables game (section)

== Tables games by region ==
=== Europe ===
[[File:MaryRoseTablesGame.jpg|thumb|A tables board found in the shipwreck of the [[Mary Rose]] (1545)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://onthetudortrail.com/Blog/resources/life-in-tudor-england/tudor-games-indoor-pastimes/|title=Tudor Games & Indoor Pastimes}}</ref>]]
==== France ====
'''[[Trictrac]]''' was the classic [[French people|French]] tables game of the 17th and 18th centuries in the same way that backgammon that now is in the English-speaking world.<ref name="Parlett">Parlett (1999), p. 86.</ref> There are two main forms of the game, ''le Grand Trictrac'' and ''le Petit Trictrac.''<ref>{{cite book |title=Le Grand Trictrac. Ou Méthode Facile pour Apprendre san Maître. |last=Soumille |first=Abbot (abbé) Bernard Laurent |year=1738 |publisher=Chez F.Girard & D. Seguin |location=Avignon|language=fr |pages=320 |postscript=NUC: Library of Congress, University of Chicago.}}</ref> However, it is not a race game; rather the main aim is to score points.

In Trictrac, the starting point is called a ''talon'', the points, or ''fleches'', are numbered to 12 on both sides of the board, with the 12th point on either side called the ''coin de repos'', or, simply, ''coin''. The 11th point (on either side) is often called ''le case d'écolier'', or 'schoolboy's point' (''case'' meaning 'square', literally) after the tendency of inexperienced players to rush to this point too soon in the game.<ref>{{cite book |title=A History of Board Games Other than Chess |last=Murray |first=H. J. R. |author-link=H. J. R. Murray |year=1978 |publisher=Hacker Art Books |isbn=978-0-87817-211-5 |pages=279}}</ref>  Statistically, the most difficult points in the game to reach aside from the ''coins'' are the 8th points, and they are named ''les fleches de diable'', or '[[Satan|the Devil's]] points', for this reason.<ref>{{cite book |title=Ibid}}</ref> The home boards are referred to as the ''jan de retour'' by either player. Doubles are treated as two identical numbers.<ref>{{cite book |title=Le Jeu de Trictrac |year=1701 |publisher=Chez Henry Charpentier |location=Paris |pages=198 |postscript=ASIN: B004FKIFEY.}}</ref>

Trictrac was superseded by the much simpler game of '''[[Jacquet (game)|Jacquet]]''' during the 19th century, a race game with a number of distinctive features. First, players circulated the board in the same direction rather than in opposing directions. Second, players could not move the majority of their pieces until the first piece, the "courier" or "postilion", had reached the final quadrant.<ref>Fiske (1905), p. 183.</ref> Jacquet was largely ousted by Anglo-American games in the 1960s, but its rules are still published and boards are still manufactured.<ref name="Parlett" /><ref>[http://salondesjeux.fr/jacquet.htm ''Le jeu de Jacquet''] at salondesjeux.fr. Retrieved 29 October 2021.</ref>

'''[[Tourne Case]]''' is another old French tables game and more one of chance than skill. Using a tables board, each player only takes 3 pieces. The aim is to enter them onto the board using the throws of the dice and be first to move all 3 to the "home corner" (''coin de repos'') on the 12th point of the board. The men may not pass over one another nor may there be more than one on a point except in the home corner. If a man moves to a point opposite that of an opposing man, the latter is "hit". It must be removed from the board and re-entered from the start.<ref>Fallavel (1715), pp. 63–77.</ref>
{{anchor|Tavli}}

====Greece and Cyprus====
{{main|Tavli}}
[[File:Tavli Board without slots (traditional).jpg|thumb|Traditional Greek [[Tavli]] board made from [[Rosewood]] with checkers made of [[Galalith]].]]
Tables games are popular among the [[Greeks]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Playing Tavli (Backgammon) in Greece with Omilo |url=https://omilo.com/greek-backgammon/ |website=omilo.com |access-date=22 January 2021}}</ref> These games are called '''Tavli''', derived in [[Byzantine]] times from the Latin word {{lang|la|tabula}}.<ref name="koukoules" /> A game of the tables family called [[Tabula (game)|Tavli]] ([[Byzantine Greek]]: {{lang|grc-x-medieval|τάβλι}}) is described in an epigram of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] [[Zeno (emperor)|Emperor Zeno]] (AD 476–481).<ref name="austin-zeno" /> The games of [[Tavli]] most commonly played are:

* '''Portes''' has no doubling cube, and players only win double (called ''diplo'', Greek for "double"), not triple, when a player bears off all the counters while the opponent has yet to bear off any and has still counters on the winner's home board or on the bar.{{efn|Winning double in Backgammon occurs when the player bears off all the counters while the opponent has yet to bear any off.}}
* '''[[Plakoto]]''' is very similar to Mahbusa or [[Tapa (game)|tapa]]. It has some general similarities with Portes, but with a different opening layout of the pieces and blots are [[pinning (tables game)|pinned]] (so they cannot move) instead of being hit.
* '''Fevga''' is similar to '''Narde''' or the Turkish variant '''Moultezim'''.  It is a [[running game (tables game)|running game]] of [[parallel movement]]; players moving in the same direction. There is not hitting or pinning and a point is blocked to the opponent even when occupied by a single piece.

The three games are normally played consecutively, in three-, five- or seven-point matches.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|title=Tavli (Greek Backgammon)|publisher=Backgammon Galore!|url=http://www.bkgm.com/variants/Tavli.html|year=2003|access-date=2006-08-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813073758/http://www.bkgm.com/variants/Tavli.html|archive-date=13 August 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> Before starting a match, each player rolls 1 die, and the player with the highest roll picks up both dice and re-rolls (i.e. it is possible to roll doubles for the opening move). Players use the same pair of dice in turns. After the first game, the winner of the previous game starts first. Each game counts as 1 point, if the opponent has borne off at least 1 stone, otherwise 2 points. There is no doubling cube. Tavli is considered the national board game of Cyprus and Greece.

Other Greek tables games include:
* '''Gul''' or '''Multezim''' is Fevga with the feature that, on a double, one has to play all doubles subsequently till the 6–6. If a dice throw cannot be fulfilled in any way, his opponent takes the turn for the remaining moves of that throw.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tavliinfo.gr/tavlimain/tavligames/gioul/index.html|title = ΓΚΙΟΥΛ}}</ref>
* '''Asodio''' is a game where all pieces are off the board at the outset and players enter either by rolling doubles or an Ace-Deuce combination.
* '''Sfaktes''' means "slayers".<ref name="bkgm-tavli">[http://www.bkgm.com/variants/Tavli.html "Tavli (Greek Backgammon)".] ''Backgammon Galore''. Retrieved on August 8, 2006.</ref> 
* '''Evraiko''' (Jewish), a much simpler game depending entirely on luck with no room for skill.

====Romania====
In [[Romania]], ''tablă'' (meaning "board", cognate of the Latin ''tabula'') has two variations: there is no doubling cube and a backgammon counts only as a gammon (called ''marț''). Matches are usually played to three points.

====Sweden====
[[File:Old Backgammon Vasa.jpg|thumb|Tables board with counters recovered from the Swedish 17th century warship ''[[Regalskeppet Vasa|Vasa]]''.]]
'''Bräde''' or '''svenskt brädspel''' ("Swedish Tables") is an elaborate version of the historical game [[verquere]] that is played in [[Sweden]]. Players start with all 15 of their counters on opposite corners of the board, and play around counter-clockwise. Besides bearing off, there are several other ways to win, such as arranging all of one's counters in certain pre-determined patterns, or by hitting so many counters that one's opponent can not bring them in again. Additional points are awarded for a victory while one's opponent has counters on the bar. Brädspel is played without the doubling cube.<ref name="helmfrid-bradspel">Helmfrid, Sten, ''et al.'' ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060211000038/https://www.vasamuseet.se/upload/the_game_of_swedish_tables.pdf The Game of Swedish Tables]'' [PDF]. February 26, 2003. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.</ref> Interest in brädspel experienced a resurgence following the recovery of a 17th-century board from the wreck of the [[Regalskeppet Vasa|Vasa]].<ref name="vasa-museum">[http://www.vasamuseet.se/Vasamuseet/Om/Vasamuseets%20vanner/Bradspelsvanner.aspx?lang=en "Vasamuseet — The Swedish-Tables Association"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060518141653/http://www.vasamuseet.se/Vasamuseet/Om/Vasamuseets%20vanner/Bradspelsvanner.aspx?lang=en |date=2006-05-18 }}, ''The Vasa Museum''. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.</ref>

=== Far East ===

There are two games known as ''[[sugoroku]]'' (双六) in [[Japan]]. One more closely resembles [[Snakes and Ladders]], while the other is played on a 24-point tables board, using standard tables equipment. The starting position is identical to that of [[backgammon]], however it differs from most other tables variants in that the pieces are never borne off. Additionally, the use of primes is not permitted.

===Middle East and Central Asia===
Tables games are played widely in the [[Middle East]] and [[Central Asia]]. The most popular is known as '''{{transliteration|ar|Tawlah}}''' in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] (meaning "table"). This may represent a shared name origin with the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] or [[Byzantine]] tables games. The game is called '''{{transliteration|fa|Takhte Nard}}''' in [[Iran]]. In [[Israel]] and many Arabic-speaking countries, it is known as '''Shesh Besh''' (pronounced Sheesh Beesh in Arabic), which is a rhyming combination ''shesh'', meaning six in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Aramaic]] and [[Northwest Semitic languages|Northwest Semitic]], and ''besh'', meaning five in [[Turkish language|Turkish]]). It is also played by some Kurdish, Persian and Turkish speakers. ''Shesh besh'' is commonly used to refer to when a player scores a 5 and 6 at the same time on dice.<ref name="BoueriBoutros2006">{{cite book |last1=Boueri |first1=Marijean |last2=Boutros |first2=Jill |last3=Sayad |first3=Joanne |title=Lebanon A to Z: A Middle Eastern Mosaic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VIemBhgNmpAC&pg=PA59 |publisher=PublishingWorks |date=April 2006 |pages=59– |isbn=978-0-9744803-4-3}}</ref>

The name '''Nardshir''' comes from the [[Persian language|Persian]] ''nard'' (Wooden block) and ''shir'' (lion) referring to the two type of pieces used in play. A common legend associates the game with the founder of the [[Sassanian dynasty]], [[Ardashir I]]. The oldest known reference to the game is thought to be a passage in the [[Talmud]].

''[[Plakoto|Mahbusa]]'' means "imprisoned". Each player begins with 15 counters on his opponent's 24-point. If a counter is hit, it is not placed on the bar, but instead, the hitting piece is placed on top, and the point is then controlled by the hitting player. The counter which has been hit is 'imprisoned' and cannot be moved until the opponent removes his piece. Sometimes, a rule is used that requires a player to bring his first counter around to his home board before moving any others. In any case, a rapid advance to one's own home board is desirable, as imprisoning the opponent's counter there is highly advantageous. Mahbusa is similar to ''[[Tapa (game)|tapa]]''.

''[[Fevga|Tawla 31]]'' (meaning table 31) or ''[[Fevga|Maghribiyya]]'' (meaning "Moroccan"). Similar to '''Mahbusa''', each player begins with 15 counters on the opponent's 24-point. However, this game involves neither hitting not pinning. Instead, one or more pieces on a point act as a [[block (tables game)|block]]. Moreover, a player must initially advance only one counter to the opponent's 'home board' before being able to move additional pieces. '''Tawla 31''' or '''Maghribiyya''' is similar to ''[[Fevga]]''.
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Many of the early [[Arabic]] texts which refer to the game comment on the debate regarding the legality and morality of playing the game. This debate was settled by the eighth century when all four [[Islam|Muslim]] schools of jurisprudence declared the game to be [[Haraam]] (forbidden), however the game is still played today in many Arab countries.

In the modern Middle East, tables games are a common feature of [[coffeehouse]]s. Today they continue to be commonly played in various forms in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and throughout the Arab world.

A feature of tables play in some Arab countries is that [[Persian language|Persian]] numbers, rather than Arabic ones, are called out by a player announcing his [[dice]] rolls.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}

====Armenia====
'''Nardi''' ({{langx|hy|նարդի}}) is very popular among [[Armenians]]. The word is derived from Persian word {{Lang|fa-Latn|nard}} ({{langx|fa|نرد|rtl=yes}}). There are two games of Nardi commonly played:

[[Short Nardi]]: the local name for Backgammon; same setup and rules.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vnews.am/kartch-nardi-xaghalu-kanonnereh-ev-orenkhnereh/|title=Կարճ նարդի խաղալու կանոնները և օրենքները|first=Կարեն|last=Ռաֆայելյան|website=VNews}}</ref>

[[Long Nardi]]: A game that starts with all fifteen pieces are placed in a line on the 24-point and on the 11-point. The two players move their pieces in parallel directions, from the 24-point towards the 1-point, or home board. In Long Nardi, one piece by itself can block a point. There is no hitting in Long Nardi. The objective of the game is bearing all pieces off the board, and there is no doubling cube.

==== Iran ====
{{main|Nard (game){{!}}Nard}}
[[File:Persian Backgammon board made in Khatam technique.jpg|thumb|Persian [[Nard (game)|Nard]] Board made in the [[Khatam]] marquetry technique.]]
'''Nard''' is the name for the Persian tables game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranian.com/Alimagham/2006/February/Backgammon/index.html,|title=Backgammon, or Takheth Nard}}</ref> H. J. R. Murray details many versions of tables games; his description of modern Persian ''Nard'' has the same layout and scheme of movement as backgammon. He suggests that it may date back, perhaps in an older form, to 300–500 AD in the Babylonian Talmud,<ref name="murray"/> although others believe the Talmud references the Greek race game ''Kubeia''.

People in the [[Iranian plateau]] and [[Caucasus]] region, especially in [[Azerbaijan]], [[Iran]], [[Armenia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Russia]], are very fond of playing [[Nard (game)|narde]]. All 15 of a player's counters are initially positioned on his own 24-point, but there is a major difference. One is forbidden to put his counter at a point occupied by one's opponent's counter, so there is no hitting or imprisonment in the long narde game. The main strategy is to secure playing "big pairs" by one's own counter and prevent as much as possible doing the same by the opponent.

The game is known as "Fevga" in Greece, "Moultezim" in Turkey, Mahbusa in the Middle East and "Ifranjiah" or ''Frankish'' in Arabia. It can also be spelt as "Nard" or "Nardi".

A version known as ''short narde'' is a simplified form of Ifranjiah. In Georgia, ifranjiah is played as elsewhere, but called "nardi". In Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia many experienced players also play '''long narde''', which some see as requiring deeper strategy.

One of the most famous narde championships is the championship of Azerbaijan – Gizil Zar – Golden Dawn. The winner is awarded with gold dice.

'''[[Gul bara]]''', sometimes referred to as "'''Rosespring Backgammon'''" or "'''Crazy Narde'''", is a tables game in which there is no hitting.
{{anchor|Tavla}}

==== Turkey ====
[[File:Tavla oynayan kadınlar, Serik - Women playing backgammon in Turkey.jpg|thumb|left|Women playing ''[[tabula (game)|tavla]]'' in [[Turkey]].]]
{{main|Tawula}}
'''[[Tavla]]''' (from [[Latin]] Tabula, from [[Medieval Greek]] τάβλη<ref name="austin-zeno"/> or from [[Arabic]] "tawleh"), is a very popular game in Turkey. It lacks a doubling cube, gammons and backgammons are counted as two points called ''mars'' and the players may not hit and run in their home boards.<ref>[http://www.bkgm.com/variants/Tavla.html Tavla]</ref> Matches are usually played to five points. It is customary to call the dice rolls their [[Persian language|Persian]] number names, with local spellings: {{lang|fa-Latn|yek}} (1), {{lang|fa-Latn|dü}} (2), {{lang|fa-Latn|se}} (3), {{lang|fa-Latn|cehar}} (4), {{lang|fa-Latn|penç}} (5), and {{lang|fa-Latn|şeş}} (6).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ergil|first1=Leyla Yvonne|title=Top Tavla tips for expats to play like a Turk|url=http://www.dailysabah.com/life/2014/10/11/top-tavla-tips-for-expats-to-play-like-a-turk|website=Daily Sabah|date=11 October 2014|publisher=dailysabah.com|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref>

There are many variants of Tavla in Turkey, where the course of play changes drastically. The usual tavla is also known as ''erkek tavlası'' ("boys' tavla" or "men's tavla"). The other variant ''kız tavlası'' ("girls' tavla") is a game which depends only on the dice and involves no strategy. There is another variant called ''asker tavlası'' ("soldiers' tavla") where the pieces are thrown to the board randomly and the opponents try to flip their pieces over the opponents' pieces to beat them. The player with no pieces left loses the game. This variant doesn't involve dice at all and the play depends more on hand-eye coordination than tactical decision making. ''Üniversite tavlası'' ("university tavla") is a variant of the game played with two or more tavlas and four or more players, with the players forming groups. The dice are thrown only by two opposing players and the rest must play the same dice. If a team member gets beaten and cannot enter, his teammates cannot play for that round. Although the dice are the same, the game on every board differs, where the case of one team member winning and another losing is very common. This variant is considered much harder because the player must take more than one play into account while only being capable of making decisions on his own board.

'''Hapis''' (Turkish for "prison") is another tables game played in Turkey. It is very similar to Mahbusa played in the [[Arab World]].