Nardi
Nardi is backgammon the way Armenians play it in courtyards and at family tables: a carved wooden board, fifteen checkers a side, and two games on one board. Short nardi is classic backgammon — hit a lone checker and it goes to the bar. Long nardi has no hitting: both sides race the same way round from a single stack, and the fight is over who blocks whom. Play the computer or pass the phone to a friend. Nardi is a free browser game: no download, no account.
How to play
- Both games: roll two dice and move checkers that many points; doubles play four times. Bring all fifteen checkers into your home, then bear them off — the first to clear the board wins.
- Short nardi (backgammon): the two sides move in opposite directions. A lone checker can be hit and sent to the bar, and it must come back in before anything else moves. Two or more checkers hold a point.
- Long nardi: all fifteen checkers start on one point, the head, and only one may leave it per turn. Nothing is ever hit — a single checker already blocks a point — but nobody may build six points in a row unless an opponent checker is already past them.
- Win before your opponent bears off a single checker and it is a mars, worth two games.
Controls
| Touch / mouse | Tap a checker, then one of the glowing rings to move it there; tap the tray beside the board to bear off |
|---|---|
| Keyboard | Arrow keys step through checkers and destinations, Enter or Space moves, Backspace takes back the turn |
Nardi in Armenia
Nardi (նարդի) is the Armenian name for backgammon, borrowed from the Persian nard. A Persian legend credits the sage Bozorgmehr with inventing the game as an answer to chess, which envoys from India had brought to the Persian court: a game of pure reckoning, met with a game of reckoning and luck.
In Armenia one board carries two games — short nardi, which the rest of the world knows as backgammon, and long nardi, a slower race with no hitting at all. Players call the dice by their Persian numbers: a six and a five is shesh-besh. Hand-carved wooden nardi boards are a staple of Yerevan’s Vernissage market, and in this game the checkers are pale tuff and black obsidian, two stones the Armenian Highlands are known for.
FAQ
Is Nardi free to play?
Yes. Nardi runs free in your browser — no download, no account, and it works on phones, tablets, and desktops.
Is nardi the same as backgammon?
Short nardi is backgammon: the same board, starting position, hitting, and bearing off. Long nardi is a different game on the same board, with no hitting and both sides racing the same way round.
What is the difference between long and short nardi?
In short nardi the sides move in opposite directions and a lone checker can be hit to the bar. In long nardi all fifteen checkers start on one point, both sides move the same way, nothing is ever hit, and a single checker blocks a point.
What is a mars in nardi?
A mars is a win before the loser has borne off a single checker, and it counts as two games. In short nardi, winning while the loser still has a checker on the bar or in your home counts as three — a backgammon.
Can I play nardi with a friend?
Yes. Choose Friend in the menu and pass the device between turns. Against the computer, your wins are counted on this device.
More games
Nardi is part of vishap.games — small free browser games from Armenian legends. All games · Play Aybuben · Play Tonir Master