Altinstar Tavla Rules

Tavla is a game played by two people on a board with checkers. The Tavla board consists of four sections: each player's home and outer boards. The board has 24 triangles that facilitate the movement of the checkers. Each player has 15 checkers of their own color. At the start of the game, the checkers are arranged as follows: 2 on the 24th point, 5 on the 13th point, 3 on the 8th point, and 5 on the 6th point.

Objective of the Game

The goal of the game is to bring all your checkers into your home board and then bear them off. The first player to bear off all their checkers wins the game.

Moving the Checkers

At the beginning of the game, each player rolls a single dice. The player with the higher roll goes first. If both players roll the same number, they roll again. The player with the higher roll moves their checkers according to the numbers on both dice. After the first turn, players roll two dice and move their checkers based on the numbers rolled.

Players move their checkers according to the numbers rolled on the dice. The numbers on the dice indicate how many points the checkers can move. Checkers always move forward to a lower-numbered point.

Rules for Moving Checkers

Checkers can be moved to open points only, and they cannot move backward.

The numbers on both dice are played separately, but the same checker can be moved according to the combined total of both dice. For example, if a player rolls a 5 and a 3, they can move one checker 3 points and then 5 points, or they can move one checker 5 points and another checker 3 points.

If a player rolls doubles (the same number on both dice), they play the number shown on the dice four times. For example, if a player rolls double sixes, they can move a checker 6 points four times.

If a player rolls doubles, they must play all four moves. If there are no available open points, they must make as many moves as possible. If only one move is possible, the higher number must be played. If a player cannot make any move, they forfeit their turn.

Hitting and Re-entering Checkers

A single checker on a point is called a "blot" and can be "hit" by the opponent. When a checker is hit, it is placed on the bar (middle of the board).

A hit checker must be re-entered into the opponent's home board. To re-enter, the player rolls the dice and places the checker on an open point corresponding to one of the numbers rolled. For example, if a player rolls a 4 and a 6, they can place the checker on the 4-point or 6-point in the opponent's home board. If no open points are available, the player loses their turn. If a player has more than one hit checker, they must re-enter all hit checkers before making any other moves.

After re-entering all hit checkers, the player must move the remaining checkers according to the dice roll.

Bearing Off Checkers

Once a player has moved all 15 checkers into their home board, they can start bearing them off. A checker can be borne off if the dice roll matches the point on which the checker resides. For example, if a player rolls a 6, they can bear off a checker from the 6-point. If there is no checker on the point corresponding to the dice roll, the player must move a checker from a higher-numbered point forward to match the dice roll. If no checkers are on higher points, a checker can be borne off from the highest occupied point.

If a checker is hit during the bearing-off process, the player must re-enter the checker and move it back to the home board before continuing to bear off. The first player to bear off all their checkers wins the game.

Gammon and Backgammon

If the losing player has borne off at least one checker, the winner scores 1 point. If the losing player has not borne off any checkers, the winner scores 2 points, known as a "Mars." If the losing player has not borne off any checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner's home board, the winner scores 3 points, known as a " Katmerli Mars."

Game Time and Additional Time

Each player has a set amount of time to make their moves. This time varies depending on the game settings. Players can see the available game times in the lobby and choose a game accordingly.

Each player has three additional time allowances of 60 seconds each. If a player does not make a move within the set time, the system automatically activates an additional time allowance. If the player still does not move within the additional time, they lose the game. If a player uses all three additional time allowances and does not make a move, they lose the game