Walk into almost any Armenian home and you will find a backgammon board — usually a wooden one, often hand-carved, always well used. The game is called nardi (նարդի), and it is far more than a pastime: it is the soundtrack of family gatherings, summer evenings in the yard, and friendly arguments that last for generations. In this guide we explain how to play Armenian backgammon, the difference between short and long nardi, and the little traditions that make the game unmistakably Armenian.
What Makes Armenian Backgammon Special?
The rules of nardi are close to classic backgammon, but the board itself is where Armenian culture shines. Armenian backgammon boards are traditionally carved from solid wood — most often beech or walnut — and decorated with national ornaments: pomegranates, grapevines, Mount Ararat, eternity symbols, even the Armenian alphabet. A board is often a family heirloom, passed from father to son, and a classic housewarming or wedding gift.
You can see this craft tradition in our Armenian Backgammon Sets collection, where every board is hand-carved by Armenian masters.
The Board and Setup
An Armenian backgammon set has the same anatomy as any backgammon board:
- 24 points (narrow triangles) arranged in four quadrants of six;
- 15 checkers per player, usually in two natural wood tones;
- Two dice, called zar in Armenian.
In the classic (short) game, each player starts with two checkers on their 24-point, five on the 13-point, three on the 8-point, and five on the 6-point. Your goal is to bring all fifteen checkers home and bear them off before your opponent does.
Short Nardi: The Classic Game
Short nardi is essentially international backgammon:
- Players move counter to each other around the board, moving checkers according to the roll of the two dice.
- A double (both dice showing the same number) is played four times — rolling double sixes means four moves of six.
- A single checker sitting alone on a point (a blot) can be hit and sent to the bar, where it must re-enter in the opponent's home board before any other move.
- Once all fifteen of your checkers are in your home board, you begin bearing off. First to remove all checkers wins.
Long Nardi: The Favorite in Armenia
Ask for a game in Yerevan and you will most likely play long nardi — the variant preferred across Armenia and the Caucasus:
- All fifteen checkers start stacked on a single point (the head), and both players move in the same counterclockwise direction.
- There is no hitting. A point occupied by even one enemy checker is blocked — the game is won by racing and building walls, not by knocking your opponent down.
- Normally only one checker may leave the head per turn, with a famous exception on the first roll for certain doubles.
- You may not build a six-point wall that completely traps your opponent unless at least one of their checkers has advanced past it.
Long nardi is slower-burning and more strategic — less luck, more patience. Most Armenian families play both and argue passionately about which is the real game.
Short vs long nardi at a glance:
| Short Nardi | Long Nardi | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting position | Checkers spread across four points | All fifteen stacked on the head |
| Direction of play | Opposite directions | Both counterclockwise |
| Hitting blots | Yes — lone checkers go to the bar | No — one checker blocks a point |
| Head rule | — | One checker per turn may leave the head |
| Feel of the game | Faster, tactical, luck matters | Patient, positional, strategic |
Traditions Around the Table
- Slam the zar. Dice are not dropped in Armenia — they are thrown with conviction. The crack of dice on a solid wooden board is half the pleasure of the game (and a good reason to own a thick, solid-wood board rather than a folding plastic one).
- Call the numbers. Players announce rolls with traditional names — shesh-besh for a six and five, du-shesh for double sixes — words every Armenian knows even if they have never studied them.
- Mars! If you bear off all fifteen checkers before your opponent removes a single one, you win a mars — a double victory, and bragging rights until the next family gathering.
In Armenia, nardi is never played in silence — the louder the board, the better the evening.
Choosing Your Own Armenian Backgammon Board
If you are ready to bring the tradition home, here is what to consider:
- Size. Boards typically range from 30×30 cm (travel-friendly) up to 60×60 cm — the full-size boards Armenians play on at home. Larger boards give the checkers room and the zar a satisfying bounce.
- Style. Choose classic hand-carved ornament boards, modern epoxy resin designs, or collector pieces by master carver Hrachya Ohanyan.
- Extras. Replacement checkers and dice are available in our Backgammon Pieces collection, and our Prestige collection gathers premium carved sets that make unforgettable gifts.
Not sure where to start? Read our guide on where to buy an Armenian backgammon set, or browse the full Backgammon Sets collection.
Final Word
Armenian backgammon is easy to learn, impossible to put down, and beautiful to look at when the board is carved by hand. Whether you play short nardi, long nardi, or just want a piece of Armenian craftsmanship on your coffee table, a handmade board turns every game night into a small celebration of heritage.